Today is Election Day, Be Sure to Vote

Voters will go to the polls today to select their choices for several state Constitutional offices including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer.  Voters will also decide who will be Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator for the next six years and will select the winner in each of Wisconsin’s eight congressional seats, including an open seat in the third Congressional District in Western Wisconsin.

All seats in the state Assembly and the odd-numbered seats in the state Senate are on the ballot. Voters will also decide who will fill seven open seats in the state Senate and twenty-five open seats in the state Assembly, meaning there will be seven brand-new state senators and as many as twenty-five brand new state representatives in January. (Two sitting state representatives are running in what are new seats for them due to redistricting.)

Republicans will maintain solid control over the state Legislature. However, a key question to be decided is whether Republicans can garner a two-thirds supermajority in both houses and thus be able to override a gubernatorial veto with solely GOP votes. To achieve a two-thirds majority in the state Senate, Republicans only need to pick up one seat. Republicans would need a net gain of five seats to reach two-thirds (66) of the seats in the 99-member state Assembly.

Achieving a “vetoproof” Legislature could blunt the governor’s power and increase the Legislature’s influence, no matter which party controls the governor’s office. This assumes legislative leaders can keep all members of their party in the respective houses on the same page, which is not always an easy task.  

Even though school funding has not been a major focus of candidates, school funding will be on the ballot. Statewide, voters will decide eighty-one school referenda today, of which forty-two request additional revenue limit authority. The total of ninety-two revenue limit asks this year marks a new all-time high, and the 166 school referenda of all types this year is the highest total number since calendar year 2000.

Polls will be open from 7am – 8pm.
Find your polling place: myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place

Current and former school board members on the ballot in legislative races include the following: