Robust interest seen in Tuesday’s election
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in chief
If recent history is any indication, upwards of 40 percent of local voters will likely turnout for Tuesday’s spring election.
Enticed by a hotly contested local School Board election and the Republican Presidential Preference Primary, Burlington voters have plenty of motivation to get to the polls April 3.
The state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections, is predicting a 35 percent turnout statewide, but Racine County Clerk Wendy Christensen predicts voters here will eclipse that total.
“In general, Racine County as a whole tends to do a little better than the rest of the state,” Christensen said.
The race for two seats on the Burlington Area School District Board of Education appears to be generating the greatest amount of heat for local voters.
The election pits incumbents John Anderson and Susan Kessler against challengers Philip Ketterhagen and Roger Koldeway. The challengers have cast themselves as conservative reformers while the incumbents have warned against dismantling a system that is effective at a relatively good value to taxpayers.
In the February primary, the challengers claimed the top two spots, followed by the incumbents with roughly 300 votes separating the top and the bottom – 1,520 for Ketterhagen, 1,444 for Koldeway, 1,211 for Kessler and 1,201 for Anderson.
However, those totals leave plenty of room for uncertainty when compared to the numbers posted in the 2011 spring School Board election.
Totals in that race were roughly double the numbers posted in this year’s primary with the leader of the four candidates earning 3,319 and the fourth-place finisher collecting 2,449 votes.
It’s not out of the ordinary, however, for a regular election to double the totals of a primary and last spring’s turnout was boosted by the contentious Supreme Court race between David Prosser and Joanne Kloppenburg. That election generated a 44 percent turnout in the county.
Whether this year’s presidential primary generates the same amount of voter interest remains to be seen.
The Republican primary features six candidates on the ballot – Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum – and is a winner-take-all contest for the state’s 42 delegates. Romney and Santorum have emerged as the front-runners with Gingrich and Paul the only others actively campaigning.
President Barack Obama is the only candidate on the Democrat side of the ballot.
The GAB cautions voters to remember they are only allowed to vote for one candidate in one party in the presidential primary. Voting in both party primaries voids that portion of the ballot.
Other local races
In addition to the School Board election, the list of other local races is short.
In the City of Burlington, residents of the 4th Aldermanic District will decide between Tom Preusker and Kent Strong. Incumbent Jeff Fischer did not seek re-election.
In Rochester, five candidates are running for three seats on the Village Board: Steve Fladwood, Charlie Pietrowski, Christian Johnson, Christopher Bennett and Russ Kumbier.
On the county level, voters will decide who will fill two six-year judge’s seats on the Circuit Court bench. The Branch 5 race features Michael Nieskes and Mike Piontek, and the Branch 10 race pits Timothy Boyle and Mark Nielsen.
There is also one local race for a seat on the County Board. That election – for the 18th District, which includes portions of Waterford, Rochester and Dover – features incumbent Gilbert Bakke and challenger Patrick Haley.
Polls open on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters who need additional information regarding districts and polling places are advised to contact the clerks in their municipalities.
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