Elections are coming up, but for most of the Milwaukee area, they’re not here yet.
The City of Milwaukee is not holding a primary election on Tuesday, Feb. 17, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission.
Election officials are preparing for the spring election on April 7, when voters will decide between candidates for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and more.
In Milwaukee, a primary election is not needed ahead of the spring election because no races had more than two candidates qualify to be on the ballot.
Some areas of Milwaukee County and Wisconsin have races with enough candidates to require a primary, such as Franklin and Oak Creek. The Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District has five candidates seeking two positions on the school board.
To learn more about voting in that election, visit the Franklin and Oak Creek websites.
To find out if there’s a primary election in your area, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website.
What will be on the ballot in the Spring election?
On the ballot for the election on April 7 in Milwaukee are races for seats on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, Milwaukee Circuit Court and Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges and a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.
Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
All Milwaukee County supervisor positions are up for reelection, but most board members are running unopposed.
Stacy Smiter is running against incumbent Felesia Martin in District 7.
District 7 is located in Milwaukee north of Wauwatosa, covering parts of Sherman Park, Lincoln Creek, Enderis Park and Nash Park.
There are two other races in districts that are mostly located in the southwest suburbs but contain small sections of Milwaukee.
In District 9, which includes Franklin, Hales Corners and a section of southwestern Milwaukee, Maqsood Khan is running against incumbent Patti Logsdon.
Ryan Antczak is challenging incumbent Kathleen Vincent for the supervisor position in District 11, which includes sections of Greenfield, Greendale and southwestern Milwaukee.
Sequanna Taylor, who serves District 5 on the County Board of Supervisors, is not pursuing reelection because she now represents District 11 in the state Assembly.
LeeVan D. Roundtree Jr. is the only candidate on the ballot for Taylor’s seat on the board, which represents the Northwest Side neighborhoods of Hampton Heights, Vogel Park, Capitol Heights, Grantosa and Timmerman Airport.
Judge races
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley is not running for reelection. Chris Taylor and Maria S. Lazar, both Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges, are competing for a 10-year term to fill her seat.
Some circuit court judgeships are also on the ballot for six-year terms, but those races are all unopposed.
Susan M. Roth is the only candidate running to fill the seat of Judge Thomas J. McAdams, who is not seeking reelection in Branch 7 of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Current Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judges Milton Childs (Branch 2), Brittany C. Grayson (Branch 16), Kevin E. Martens (Branch 27), Rebecca Kiefer (Branch 29) and Laura Gramling Perez (Branch 32) are all running unopposed.
Judge M. Joseph Donald is running unopposed for reelection in District 1 of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, which covers Milwaukee County.
How you can vote in April
If you request to vote by mail, Milwaukee drop boxes will be open by noon on Monday, March 23 and remain open until 6 p.m. on Election Day, April 7.
On April 7, absentee ballots will also be accepted at central count, 1901 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Early voting begins in Milwaukee on March 24 and runs through April 5. Remember to bring a photo ID to the polls.
How to register to vote
If you are a new voter, have moved since the last election or have not voted in the past four years, you will need to register.
Voters may register online or by mail by March 18 or in person at their municipal clerk’s office until April 3. You can also register at your polling place on Election Day, which you can find with your address here.
To register, residents must show proof of address with a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or other ID, utility bill, bank statement or paystub. Here’s a list of accepted documents.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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