WASHINGTON COUNTY — In-person absentee voting starts Tuesday for the April 4 spring general election.
The spring election will feature many nonpartisan elections for positions across several areas of local government, from school board to judicial, as well as a special state Senate election to fill the seat vacated by former state Sen. Alberta Darling, who retired last year.
Here are the contested races and the referendum questions that will be on the ballot for voters in Washington County. Uncontested races will not be included.
The lone statewide election on the spring ballot is for state Supreme Court. The candidates in the race will be Daniel Kelly and Janet C. Protasiewicz.
The spring election is a nonpartisan election, but due to Darling’s retirement from the state Senate, Gov.
Tony Evers ordered a special election in the spring to fill the vacant seat.
The special election will be between Democratic candidate Jodi Habush Sinykin and Republican candidate and current state Rep. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown. The election will be on ballots in Richfield, Hubertus, Colgate, Erin and Germantown, as well as on ballots in both Ozaukee and Waukesha counties.
There will be three judicial elections on the ballot in the county aside from the state Supreme Court election, though only one will be contested.
The contested election will be for Branch 1 Circuit Court judge between incumbent Judge Ryan J. Hetzel and Russ Jones.
Town of Erin
In the Town of Erin there will be a vote-for-two-election for Town Board supervisor between three candidates, including Dean Schober, Bradley Bautz and Bob Bruha.
There will also be two candidates running for town treasurer, Sylvia M. Coffey and Marjorie Bruha.
Town of Polk
In the Town of Polk there will be a vote-for-two municipal election for Town Board supervisor between three candidates. The candidates in the race are Wally Beahr, Jenny Zignego and Robert G. Roecker.
Town of Trenton
The Town of Trenton has two municipal elections on the spring ballot. The first election is for Town Board chairperson between Mike Lipscomb and Joan Baumgartner.
The second is a vote-fortwo election for Town Board supervisor. The candidates for supervisor include Barbara Davies, Ed Doerr, Scott Guerndt and Josh R. Thull.
Village of Germantown
In the village of Germantown two candidates will be running in the election for village trustee in District 2 between Rick Miller and Daniel Wing.
Village of Kewaskum
The village of Kewaskum there will see a vote-forthree- candidates election for village trustee, with four candidates in the race. The candidates include Marnie Parse, Jim Hovland, Jim Wright and Nathan Wendelborn.
Village of Richfield
In Richfield three candidates, Pamela A. Schmitt, Nolan Jackett and Tom Wolff, will all be running for two village trustee seats.
City of Hartford
In the city of Hartford, Dennis Regan and Brian Boehlen will be running against each other for District 2 alderman, and Kathee Isleb and Tina M.
Savage will be running against each other for District 3 alderwoman.
City of West Bend
The city of West Bend will have five total municipal elections on the ballot in the spring election.
In the election for mayor of West Bend, Joel Ongert and Denis Kelling will be running against each other.
In the election for District 2 alderperson, Mark Allen and Sonja Hanrahan will be running against each other.
Cedarburg School District
Voters in the Cedarburg School District area of Washington County will have a vote-for-two election for the Cedarburg School Board between four candidates. The candidates include Kate Erickson, Corey Kubichka, Scott Sidney and Connie Kincaide.
Germantown School District
There will be two School Board elections on the ballot for voters in the Germantown School District.
Kimberly Higginbotham and Joshua Johnson will run against each other for School Board Member Seat 3, and Eric Brown and Michael Pickett will run against each other for School Board Member Seat 5.
Hartford Joint #1 School District
The Hartford Joint #1 School District will have a vote-for-two School Board election between three candidates on the spring ballot. Candidates include Terrence Perfect, Don Pridemore and Erin Wilk.
Kewaskum School District
There will be a vote-fort-hree School Board election between four candidates for voters in the Kewaskum School District. The four candidates include Rhett Alexander Engelking, Dennis Aupperle, Stephanie Bird and Sue Ann Miller.
Slinger School District
The Slinger School District will have a vote-for-two election for School Board member between four candidates on the spring ballot. The four candidates include Heidi Gundrum Lofy, Brenda Lighthizer, Jody Melius-Strupp and Christy Burg.
Hartford Union High School District
There will be one election for School Board member in the HUHS District. The election will be between Tracy Hennes and Nolan Jackett.
West Bend School District
The West Bend School District will have a vote-for-three School Board member election between six candidates on the spring ballot.
The six candidates for the three School Board seats include June Kruger, Chad Tamez, Kelly Lang, Nick Stewart, Bill Schulz and Laurie Schloemer Aleven.
There are three statewide referendums that will appear on the spring general election ballot for voters to vote for or against.
Question One: “Conditions of release before conviction. Shall section 8 (2) of article I of the constitution be amended to allow a court to impose on an accused person being released before conviction conditions that are designed to protect the community from serious harm?”
Question Two: “Cash bail before conviction. Shall section 8 (2) of article I of the constitution be amended to allow a court to impose cash bail on a person accused of a violent crime based on the totality of the circumstances, including the accused’s previous convictions for a violent crime, the probability that the accused will fail to appear, the need to protect the community from serious harm and prevent witness intimidation, and potential affirmative defenses?”
Question Three: “Shall able-bodied, childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits?”
Voters in the towns of Addison, Barton, Erin, Farmington, Hartford, Kewaskum, Polk, Trenton, West Bend, villages of Germantown, Jackson, Kewaskum, Slinger, and cities of Hartford and West Bend will all be voting on municipal referendums.
While each municipality will receive its own results on the referendums, the referendum question before the voters is the same in each one.
The municipal referendum that voters will vote for or against reads: “Washington County currently imposes a 0.5% sales tax throughout the county and none of these dollars are directly shared with the local municipalities. Municipalities are putting forth a proposal to the County for sharing sales tax revenues. Would you support an agreement where the County would annually share 20% of the revenues with the cities, villages, and towns to apply to local road maintenance and construction?”
Over the coming days continue watch out for election preview stories for contested races in Washington County ahead of the April 4 spring general election.
