RACINE, Wis. — Voting gets underway Tuesday, April 2, and Racine County residents will have their say in the 2024 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote.
Voting for contested races
Contested elections are taking place in several communities east and west of I-94, including:
Racine
- County Supervisor – Districts 3, 7, 8, and 10.
- Alderperson – Districts 2 (Incumbent Mollie Jones, Tyler Townsend) and 4 (David Maack, Jacqueline Schrader); watch Racine County Eye’s conversations with Townsend and with Maack and Schrader.
- School Board Member #4 (Grace Allen, Amanda Gain), #8 (Incumbent Nikki Fisher, Mike Bellagio)
- School Referendum Question
Brighton
- School Referendum Question
Burlington
- Town Board Supervisor
- Alderperson – District 4
- School Board Member
Waterford
- Town Board Supervisor
Elmwood Park
- Village Trustee
Mount Pleasant
- Village Trustee No. 4
Raymond
- School Board (Incumbent Audrey Kostuch, Shelly Kurhajec, Dorrae Moonen, Ed Robinson); watch Racine County Eye’s candidate forum with Board of Education candidates.
Rochester
- Village Trustee
Union Grove
- Village Trustee
- School Board Member
Waterford
- Village Trustee
- School Referendum Question
Racine County Circuit Court Judge
Four Racine County Circuit Court judges are up for re-election, but only one is a contested race.
Each seat has a six-year term.
Toni L. Young in Branch 3 is the sole judge facing a contested election.
Young is the first person Black woman to serve on the bench in Racine County. She was appointed Nov. 30 by Gov. Tony Evers, filling the vacancy created by Judge Maureen M. Martinez’s resignation.
She is being challenged by Jessica Lynott, who has been an assistant district attorney since 2017.
Watch Racine County Eye’s March 28 conversation with Young.
Referendum Questions
During the 2021-2022 Legislative session, Wisconsin Republicans attempted to pass a bill that would ban all third party funds/grant money from covering any administrative costs associated with running elections.
Evers vetoed the proposal, prompting state Republicans to begin the process of amending the state constitution. Their resolution passed in two consecutive Legislative sessions, despite it having zero Democratic support. This paved the way for it to be on the ballot as a referendum for public approval.
Voting “Yes” or “No” vote on two proposed amendments to Wisconsin’s Constitution will decide whether the state and any municipalities therein can apply for and use grant money to help fund the administration of elections and that only individuals as defined by state law can administer elections.
Here’s how the questions will appear on ballots:
Question 1: State of Wisconsin Use of Private Funds in Election Administration
Shall Section 7(1) of Article III of the Constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?
Question 2: State of Wisconsin Election Officials
Shall Section 7(2) of Article III of the Constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?
Presidential Preference Vote
With the presidential preference vote, residents have the opportunity to choose one candidate from their preferred party’s list of presidential candidates.
In addition, voters may select the “uninstructed” option under either party’s primary, effectively sending a message to that party’s leadership that the voter’s personal views and values do not align with the party line. It also signals an unsatisfactory candidate list, and the voter doesn’t feel any name listed deserves selection.
The primary votes will be tallied and will be taken into consideration when party leadership officially chooses their presidential nominee at each party’s national convention later this summer.
Republicans will host their convention in July at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, and Democrats will have their event in August in Chicago.
Where and when to vote
Voters can visit myvote.wi.gov to find polling locations and look at sample ballots before they head to the polls.
Voting begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m.
Election coverage
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