Funny you should ask: Are the April 7th elections going to be held?

With the April elections just a little over two weeks away and given that it feels like every day some new governmental restriction has been put in place regarding public gatherings of one kind or another, one of the questions that keeps coming up is: are they on? That is, will they occur on the 7^th as planned or will they be postponed?

The safe answer is to tell you what we know today and that is the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) has announced that the spring elections will occur as scheduled. The one exception is that there will be no voting allowed on premise at Meadowbrook (formerly Knapp Haven). This was mandated state-wide a few weeks ago about all nursing homes. Of course, the grand caveat in all of this is the real and present danger of COVID-19 that may cause elected executives such as Governor Evers to postpone the elections. But assuming that they will occur as scheduled here are some things you need to know about April 7^th.

If you plan to vote in person you will experience this:

1. You will be greeted at the door by one of our police officers. Only three voters may be in council chambers at one time. This officer will help ensure that.
2. You will be asked to don a set of non-latex gloves.
3. The election workers who will be working all must be under the age of 65 and all will be wearing masks.
4. Voting screens and digital pens will be disinfected regularly

If you're like me, voting at City Hall is usually no more than a 5-minute stop. But given the unusual circumstances we are all facing, give yourself more time that day than you normally would expect to take.

If you plan to vote by absentee ballot, remember this:

1. You must be registered to vote in order to cast an absentee ballot. If you are not yet registered call City Hall at 715-924-4838 and Carmen will walk you through this process.
2. The deadline to register by mail has already passed.
3. The deadline to register online to vote has been extended by federal court until Monday, March 30. You may request your absentee ballot online at https://myvote.wi.gov
4. Voters who need to register may also do so in person at City Hall until Friday, April 3 and on Election Day at the polling place. Again, call City Hall with any questions you may have.
5. Request your absentee ballot as soon as possible. The deadline is Thursday, April 2.

This graphic came from the Wisconsin Elections Commission website

These times can make even the most optimistic of us feel just a tad discombobulated. Every day some new federal or state guideline is announced. But life will go on and hopefully sooner than later things will go back to normal. But like the age-old tongue-in-cheek saying goes “Vote early, vote often.” Now you and I know there's no way there gonna let any of us cast our vote more than once but one of the great things of a local election is that your voice is really heard if you vote. Make sure you do come April 7th.