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Spring Election 2021: Head to Your Local Polling Place April 6

Elections don’t get more local than the one on April 6. This is the time when voters select those who will run their local school boards and govern their municipalities. 

Yet, strangely enough, turnout is lower for spring elections. Only about 25% of Door County’s registered voters have historically cast ballots for the spring election, according to Jill Lau, Door County clerk.

“Your local races are your very important races,” Lau said. “They hit much closer to home than national or state races, but we don’t see the turnout like we do for statewide or federal elections.”

This year, requests for absentee ballots are up by nearly 75% compared with the spring elections of 2019: 1,200 voters requested absentee ballots in 2019 compared with 2,100 requests for Tuesday’s election, as of March 31. Lau said the same pandemic safety guidelines that were in place last year will still be followed at local polling places April 6, likely triggering the higher request for absentee ballots. 

Seats are up for reelection in all of Door County’s 19 municipalities and for the county’s five school boards. Contested races exist in only three of those municipalities – the Town of Gardner, the Town of Union and on Washington Island – and for three of the five district school boards: Gibraltar, Southern Door and Sturgeon Bay.

There’s also a write-in challenge in the Village of Egg Harbor, and an incumbent who won’t be on the official ballot is running for reelection on a write-in basis in Sister Bay. There are also four communities in Door County where voters will be asked to weigh in on a referendum question. 

Head to the special election issue inside to find everything you need to know to make informed decisions for your community this coming Tuesday.

Polls will be open April 6, 7 am – 8 pm. Contact your local municipal clerk or school board for more details.

The Races

Referendum Questions
Ephraim Premier Resort Area Tax

Town and Village Boards

Gardner Town Board
Washington Island Chair
Write-in Candidates in Egg Harbor, Sister Bay
Town of Union Clerk

School Boards

Gibraltar
Sturgeon Bay
Southern Door