As the final days before the Nov. 8 General Election pass, a number of area races could see some considerable interest.
Area residents will go to the polls to vote on a number of local and area races, as well as the Wisconsin governor’s race between Tony Evers and Tim Michels as well as the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Ron Johnson (R) and challenger Mandela Barnes (D).
Mail-in voter registration needed to be postmarked by Oct. 19. In-person registration will continue until Nov. 4. Early/absentee balloting ends Nov. 6.
A breakdown of some of the races, and information about local polling places is below.
Local
Perhaps the most intriguing of the local races is for Walworth County Sheriff. While David Gerber won his partisan primary over Craig Konopski, 8,149 votes to 7,943. However, Konopski – like Republican Adam Steen in the State Assembly District 63 race – is running as a registered write-in candidate.
In State Assembly District 31, Democrat Brienne Brown and Republican Ellen Schutt are battling for the position left open when Amy Loudenbeck moved and decided to run for Secretary of State. Meanwhile, District 32 is a battle between incumbent Tyler August (R) and challenger Adam Jaramillo (D) from Williams Bay. In the 33rd State Assembly District incumbent Don Vruwink (D) is facing Republican challenger Scott Johnson.
State
At the state level, Evers and challenger Michels have been locked in a tight battle, with neither emerging as a clear favorite in any polls. Michels, from Hartland, is a 12-year U.S. Army veteran, while Evers is the former Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The lieutenant governor position is a race between Democrat Sara Rodriguez and Republican Roger Roth.
There are also races for Wisconsin Attorney General – between Eric Toney (R) and incumbent Josh Kaul (D) – as well as Wisconsin Secretary of State between incumbent Douglas LaFollette and challenger Loundenbeck (former State Assembly District 31 representative).
National
Barnes and Johnson have been engaged in hefty television and radio ads against one another, with poll results varying almost day by day as to who is ahead.
The race has been noted nationally as one of the most important in the U.S. Senate races. Johnson is an 11-year incumbent, while Barnes has been the lieutenant governor to Tony Evers since 2019.
For the U.S. House of Representatives, District 1, incumbent Bryan Steil (R) will be challenged by Ann Roe (D) and Charles Barman – a local pig farmer who is running as part of “The Going Away Party.”
Polling Places
The best way to get information on where residents should go to vote is by calling their municipal clerk. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8.
A photo ID is required to vote in Wisconsin. That includes a Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver’s license, a DOT identification card, a U.S. passport or a military ID card issued by a U.S. uniformed service.
Ballot processing
While counting voters occurs after the polls close, the process of counting is a public activity, according to clerk’s office.
Any interested person, including a candidate, can be present and observe the counting as long as he or she does not interfere with the process.
All ballots, regardless of whether they are for write-in candidates or for candidates already on the ballot, must be reviewed by the election officials and write-ins for registered write-in candidates should be documents and recorded on tally sheets.
