Thursday, September 19, 2024
Serving Algoma, Casco, Kewaunee, Luxemburg and all of Kewaunee County
KEWAUNEE COUNTY - If you've yet to fill out your absentee ballot for Tuesday's election and put it in the mail, the Wisconsin Elections Commission offers this advice — don't.
However, those with their absentee ballots still on their desks can cast their votes by hand-delivering them to their municipal clerk before Monday or bringing them directly to their local polling place Tuesday.
That suggestion from the commission came Wednesday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday night that ballots received after 8 p.m. Tuesday will not be counted even if they're postmarked before the deadline, reversing an earlier federal district court decision that reversed a state law.
Because of an expected rush of ballots in the mail (the Washington Post reported that 1.45 million of 1.79 million absentee ballots requested in Wisconsin, more than 80 percent, have been returned already, but about 327,000 are still outstanding) and recent changes in the U.S. Postal Service, the commission warned that ballots that haven't already been mailed probably won't be received in time to count.
Voters looking to drop off a ballot at the local clerk's office should contact the clerk and make an appointment to do so before Monday; it's not allowed to do this the day before an election. County Clerk Jamie Annoye said dropoff absentee ballots must be signed by a witness and in the completed and sealed certification envelope the voter received with the ballot. Annoye said they can also return the absentee ballot unvoted and choose to vote in person with the municipal clerk by appointment.
The clerks are:
Also, Annoye said those with unmailed absentee ballots can fill them out the same way as if they would be mailed and bring them to their polling place on Election Day, or return an unfilled ballot and vote in person.
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For in-person voting, all 14 of Kewaunee County's usual polling places will be open Tuesday, and Annoye said the polls and poll workers will follow guidelines set by the Wisconsin Elections Commission to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and if voters end up in a long line at closing time, they can still cast their ballot as long as they're in the line by 8.
Annoye said all places will mark six-foot distances inside and poll workers will wear face masks. Some places will install plexiglass shields between the workers and voters. Hand sanitizer will be available and pens, door handles, tables, and other equipment will receive extra sanitizing.
While all four Kewaunee County positions on Tuesday's election are uncontested, seats are at stake in state and national government.
The biggest race is for president, of course, pitting Republican President Donald Trump against Democrat, and longtime Delaware Senator, Joe Biden. Three other candidates are on the ballot: Don Blankenship of the Constitution Party, Jo Jorgensen of the Libertarian Party, and Brian Carroll of the American Solidarity Party.
The county's District 8 representative to the U.S. Congress is up for election, with Republican incumbent Mike Gallagher of Green Bay challenged by Democrat Amanda Stuck of Appleton. Gallagher, a former Marine, is seeking his third term in office while Stuck has represented the 57th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly since 2014.
Also, Republican incumbent Joel Kitchens of Sturgeon Bay is being challenged by Democrat Kim Delorit Jensen of Egg Harbor for Kitchens' District 1 Assembly seat. Kitchens, a veterinarian and former president of the Sturgeon Bay School Board, was first elected to the Assembly in 2014 and has retained the seat since, while Jensen is a political newcomer who owns and operates several restaurants in Door County.
The incumbents running unopposed to retain their seats in local races are District Attorney Andrew Naze, Democrat; County Clerk Jamie Annoye, Democrat; Treasurer Michelle Dax, Republican; and Register of Deeds Germaine Bertrand, Democrat.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Haven't mailed your absentee ballot yet? Here are options to make sure your vote counts
