It’s Election Day!
Everything you need to know about voting in today’s primary.
Voters across Wisconsin will head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a variety of state and local primary races.
The goal? To narrow the field of candidates ahead of the April 7 general election. The presidential primary will also take place April 7.
Here’s everything you need to know about the spring primary, from how to vote to who’s running.
What to do on election day
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your polling station as well as what’s on your ballot, go to myvote.wi.gov and enter your address.
Online voter registration is now closed. If you are not already registered to vote, you can do so at your polling station on election day with a document that includes your full name and current address as proof of residency.
And everyone who votes must bring a photo ID. A Wisconsin driver’s license, a Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued ID card, a military ID or a U.S. passport are all acceptable.
The address on the photo ID does not have to be your current address as long as you are already registered to vote. But if you are using your photo
ID as your proof of residency when registering to vote, it must have the correct address.
Milwaukee election officials are expecting to see turnout around 20% to 25% of registered voters, said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the city’s election commission.
That’s about 65,000 to 72,000 voters, Albrecht said. That’s slightly higher than usual for a spring primary, he said, possibly because of the highprofile mayoral and county executive races.
Statewide, officials do not have a turnout estimate. They expect rates to vary widely from place to place, said Reid Magney, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
“A hot local race ... can also drive up turnout locally,” Magney said.
Albrecht wanted to remind residents that although Wisconsin’s presidential primary used to take place in February, it now takes place in April.
Here are all the key races that will be on Milwaukee-area voters’ ballots. They’re all nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not attach a political party to their name.
Statewide election
There is one statewide primary race: for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. The race will be narrowed from three candidates to two after
Tuesday’s results come in.
The three candidates are incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill J. Karofsky and Marquette University Law School professor Ed Fallone.
Milwaukee County elections
There are two countywide races: for county executive and for the Branch 5 Circuit Court judge.
Four candidates are vying to succeed County Executive Chris Abele, who is not seeking reelection. They are County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr., state Rep. David Crowley, state Sen. Chris Larson and businesswoman Purnima Nath. The top two contenders will be on the ballot in April.
Of the three Branch 5 judicial candidates, two will move forward to April. They are Brett Blomme, Paul Dedinsky and Zach Whitney.
Voters may see one of three other races on their primary ballot, depending on where they live.
Milwaukee County Board Supervisory districts 4, 6 and 11 will have primaries. The remaining 16 supervisor districts are not contested and will appear on ballots in April.
In District 4, Ryan Clancy, Andrea Rodriguez and Paul Rasky are running. Marina Dimitrijevic is the incumbent but is not seeking reelection.
In District 6, John Karol, Shawn Rolland and Barb Shoenherr are running.
Jim “Luigi” Schmitt is the incumbent but is not seeking reelection.
In District 11, Joseph J. Czarnecki, Andrew Moriarity and Yangham F. Yangham are running. Dan Sebring is the incumbent but is not seeking reelection.
City of Milwaukee elections
Candidates for mayor, city attorney and city comptroller will be on every Milwaukee resident’s ballot.
And depending on where you live, you may also vote in a Common Council primary.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is facing two main challengers in the Feb. 18 primary — state Sen. Lena Taylor and south side Milwaukee Ald. Tony Zielinski.
Paul Rasky, a fourth candidate, is also on the ballot but has not actively campaigned. He also submitted enough signatures to qualify for races in the city’s 14th aldermanic district and county supervisory District 4.
Vincent J. Bobot, Grant F. Langley and Tearman Spencer are in the race for city attorney, while Alex Brower, Jason Fields and Aycha Sawa are vying to be city comptroller.
Six aldermanic districts have February primaries because three or more people are running in those races. Races in districts 3, 6, 10 and 13 have two candidates each, so those races will be on the ballot in April.
Alds. Cavalier Johnson, Robert Bauman, Chantia Lewis, José Pérez and Russell W. Stamper II are running uncontested in their districts.
For the remainder of the districts, here’s what those ballots will look like:
District 1: Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton (incumbent), Leonard Goudy, Vince G. Toney.
District 5: Ald. Nikiya Dodd (incumbent), Nick McVey, Bruce Winter.
District 7: Elizabeth Brown, Kenneth Hughes, Ald. Khalif Rainey (incumbent), Fred Royal.
District 8: Ryan Antczak, Justin Bielinski, Christian Saldivar, Angel C. Sanchez, state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa. Incumbent Bob Donovan is not seeking reelection.
District 11: Christian Ahangar, Ald. Mark A. Borkowski (incumbent), Peter Burgelis.
District 14: Jason Auerbach, Marina Dimitrijevic, Paul Rasky. Incumbent Tony Zielinski is not seeking reelection.
Key suburban races
Seven candidates are seeking two spots on the Oconomowoc Area School Board.
Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Menomonee Falls School Board.
Five candidates are striving for two seats available on the Brown Deer Village
Board.
Three people are hoping to replace Kathleen Ehley as Wauwatosa mayor. Ehley is not seeking reelection.
In Brookfield, the District 3 alderman will have some competition, with two newcomers also throwing their hats into the ring.
Elmbrook School Board President Kathryn Wilson is not seeking reelection. Three others have stepped up, hoping to take her place on the board.
Three candidates are seeking just one open spot representing the city of Franklin’s 4th District.
Five candidates hope to be Muskego’s next mayor, after Kathy Chiaverotti’s decision not to seek a new term.
With the Palmyra-Eagle Area School District struggling financially and its attempt to dissolve recently rejected by the state, eight candidates are looking to capture three available seats on the school board.
Out-state Congressional race
Four candidates — two Republicans and two Democrats — are vying for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District after Rep. Sean Duffy stepped away from Congress to spend more time with his family. His youngest daughter was born with holes in her heart and Down syndrome.
The race is a primary to narrow the field to one Republican and one Democrat ahead of a special election on May 12.