It’s still April 7, but voters should keep track of ongoing changes
By Todd Mishler
Copy Editor
The April 7 spring election in Wisconsin will be like no other, obviously, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
State, county and municipal election officials have been swamped with questions the past several weeks while urging as many voters as possible to register and vote via absentee ballot.
Meanwhile, the City of Green Bay on March 25 filed a federal lawsuit against the Gov. Tony Evers administration and the Wisconsin Elections Commission seeking to delay the election and transition to one done entirely by mail.
A judge has since ruled that the city does not have legal grounds to sue, however, several other lawsuits had been filed and were pending.
Evers, on March 27, called on state lawmakers to provide all registered voters with absentee ballots to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
That was only one of the latest headlines while clerks in Dane and Milwaukee counties were entangled in controversy with legislative leaders and the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau for potentially breaking the law in advising certain voters.
Late on March 27 the WEC approved several procedures aimed at protecting health for any in-person voters, including curbside, drive-thru and outdoor options at polling places. The commission also adopted procedures to limit contact between voters and poll workers.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the WEC also recommended that anyone over the age of 65 and those with underlying health problems not serve at voting sites, which would drastically cut the already limited supply of poll workers.
Something that won’t change: Polls across the Badger State on Election Day are scheduled to remain open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as usual.
Residents should contact their respective municipal clerk’s office and/or visit www.myvote.wi.gov for more information.
Biden vs. Sanders
Twelve Democratic candidates are listed on the Presidential Preference Primary ballot, but only two remain in the running in an attempt to unseat President Trump.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and 2016 Democratic runner-up Bernie Sanders are the lone candidates left standing after Tulsi Gabbard finally dropped out March 19.
As of March 27, Biden led Sanders by 303 delegates — according to The Associated Press — in the race to reach 1,991 and earn the party’s nomination.
Court races
The only other statewide race on the ballot was the one for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly, appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker, and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky advanced to the April 7 election.
Kelly is the conservative-backed incumbent from North Prairie who has served since 2016. The unofficial tally showed he received about 50 percent of the vote in the February spring primary.
Karofsky, supported by liberals, was elected as a circuit court judge in 2017 and finished with about 37 percent of the February vote, while Marquette Law School professor Ed Fallone was eliminated after getting only about 13 percent.
- Meanwhile, the District 2 Court of Appeals judge race features incumbent Lisa Neubauer, of Racine, squaring off against Paul Bugenhagen, of Mukwonago.
