Spring election held but results are delayed

After considerable political wrangling in Madison over the past week, Wisconsin and local voters did go to the polls on Tuesday for the state’s presidential primary and local spring elections. Results, however, will not be released until April 13 due to a postponement in the final collection date for absentee ballots.

With the state in a “Safer at Home” order from Gov. Tony Evers due to the coronavirus pandemic and almost all public events cancelled or postponed, the status of the election was in doubt until less than 24 hours before polling began at 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Voters requested absentee ballots in record numbers to avoid visiting polling places, and Evers took action last week to postpone the date by which those absentee ballots must be returned and counted.

Evers took a further step to postpone the in-person voting last week. On April 3, he ordered a special session of the Legislature for April 4 to consider action to postpone the voting to avoid spreading the virus, and also because reports of a lack of poll workers were growing in number. The Legislature convened and immediately adjourned that special session on Saturday, moving it to Monday. It also failed to take action then.

On Monday afternoon, Evers issued an executive order to postpone in-person voting to June 9. Republican legislative leaders immediately appealed that decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which voted 4-2 late on Monday to block Evers’ order. That opened the door for the polls to open Tuesday morning.

Municipal clerks normally release the results of the election shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Because absentee ballots with this election can now be received later than the usual deadline, no results will be available until at least April 13.

The main items on this spring’s election were Wisconsin’s presidential primary, and election of a new Supreme Court justice. Locally, Greenwood School District voters are making a choice on a $4.65 million revenue cap exemption referendum and voters in area municipalities are choosing new city council, village board, school board and county board representatives.