With absentee voting in the Aug. 11 partisan primary now underway, Kenosha County Clerk Regi Waligora is reminding voters they must select candidates from only one political party.
Under Wisconsin election law, voters are not required to declare a party, but they are allowed to vote in only one party’s primary.
This restriction is of particular interest in the August primary, as the ballot includes a race for Kenosha County sheriff that involves three Republican candidates and no Democratic or other party candidates. Meanwhile, the open race for governor includes a closely watched Democratic primary.
“We’ve begun receiving reports from voters who have received their absentee ballot in the mail and are confused that they cannot vote in both the sheriff’s race and the Democratic primary for governor,” Waligora said. “Under state law, voters must select one party and vote only in that portion of the ballot.”
Voters have the option to select a party preference, meaning only votes cast under that party will be counted. If a voter does not indicate a party preference and casts votes for candidates in multiple parties, no votes will be counted. Voters who choose a party preference must still vote for individual candidates.
“This causes confusion for some voters in all partisan primaries, and I expect the confusion to be heightened by the dynamics of this year’s races,” Waligora said. “I encourage voters to familiarize themselves with the process, and to contact my office or their local municipal clerk’s office if they need clarification before submitting an absentee ballot.”
The deadline to file an application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6. Ballots returned by mail must be returned to the voter’s municipal clerk’s office on or before the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
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Kenosha County
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