Elections

Post Election Audit Update, Upcoming Elections, and More

NOTICE OF SPRING ELECTION

Town of Germantown

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at an election to be held in the Town of Germantown, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the following offices are to be elected to succeed the present incumbents listed.  The term for town board offices is for two years beginning on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.  The term for Sanitary District Commissioner is six years beginning on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Office                                                                  Incumbent

Town Board Supervisor                                   Ray Feldman

Town Board Supervisor                                  Tamaya Loewe

Sanitary District 1 Commissioner                    Jim Murphy

Sanitary District 1 Commissioner                    Brad Pavloski

 

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that the first day to circulate nomination papers is December 1, 2023, and the final day for filing nomination papers is 5:00 p.m., on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, in the office of the town clerk.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that if a primary is necessary, the primary will be held on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.

Acceptable Photo ID will be required to vote at this election.  If you do not have a photo ID you may obtain a free ID for voting from the Division of Motor Vehicles.

VOTING BY ABSENTEE BALLOT

Any qualified elector who is unable or unwilling to appear at the polling place on Election Day may submit a request to vote an absentee ballot to their municipal clerk.  A qualified elector is any U.S. citizen, who will be 18 years of age or older on Election Day, who has resided in the ward or municipality where he or she wishes to vote for at least 28 consecutive days before the election.  The elector must also be registered in order to receive an absentee ballot.  Proof of identification must be provided before an absentee ballot may be issued.

You must make a request for an absentee ballot in writing or online at MyVote.wi.gov.

Contact your municipal clerk and request that an application for an absentee ballot be sent to you for the primary or election or both.  You may also submit a written request in the form of a letter, or you may apply for an absentee ballot online at MyVote.wi.gov.  Your written request must list your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote, the address where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different, and your signature.  You may make an application to your municipal clerk for an absentee ballot in person, by mail, by fax, by email or at MyVote.wi.gov.

 

Making application to receive an absentee ballot by mail

The deadline for making application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is:

5 pm on the fifth day before the election, March 28, 2024.

Note:    Special absentee voting application provisions apply to electors who are indefinitely confined to home or a care facility, in the military, hospitalized, or serving as a sequestered juror.  If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.

Voting an absentee ballot in person

You may also request and vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office or other specified location during the days and hours specified for casting an absentee ballot in person.

Susan Ganther 608-562-5751

N7560 17th Avenue, New Lisbon WI 53950

Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

 

The first day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office is / was:  March 19, 2024

The last day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office:  March 22, 2024, 3:30 p.m.

 

No in-person absentee voting may occur on the day before the election.

The municipal clerk will deliver voted ballots returned on or before Election Day to the proper polling place or counting location before the polls close on April 2, 2024.  Any ballots received after the polls close will not be counted.

UPCOMING 2024 ELECTIONS:

Event

Date & Time
2024 Spring Primary Election  -NONE

 

2024 Spring & Presidential Preference Election April 2, 2024 – 7am – 8pm
2024 Fall Partisan Primary Election August 13, 2024 – 7am – 8pm
2024 Fall General Election November 5, 2024 – 7am – 8pm

 

Where Can I Vote?

Polls in Wisconsin are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on election day. Your voter ID is required.

View information about the new requirement at http://bringit.wisconsin.gov/

You will be required to present a valid photo ID before voting at all future elections.

Town of Germantown residents vote at the Town Hall/Community Center located at N7560 17th Avenue, New Lisbon, WI.

 

Voter Registration Application

New voters in Wisconsin can register to vote two ways: Register Online at MyVoteWisconsin

OR, they can complete a paper form EL-131  Voter Registration Application and turn it in to the clerk with a valid proof of residency.

 

Voter Application for Absentee Ballot

Voters can request an absentee ballot online at MyVoteWisconsin 

OR, they can complete a paper Form EL-121 Application for Absentee Ballot Request and turn it in to the clerk with a valid photo ID. 

Registering to Vote

(Note: For those who need to register first, the residency requirement is 28 days. Those not residing here for the 28 days must vote in the previous municipality where they lived.)

General requirements:

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • You must be 18 years old on Election Day.
  • You have been a resident of your election district for at least 28 consecutive days prior to the election.
  • You have not lost your right to vote. i.e. – not currently serving a sentence including incarceration, parole, probation or extended supervision for a felony conviction, and not otherwise disqualified from voting.

Registration Help

  • The easiest way to register is online at MyVoteWI. Deadline to register to vote Online or by Mail is 20 days before an election.
  • Or, in the days after that leading up to the election, you must register in person in the clerk’s office. Just either print from online or get from the clerk Form EL-131, complete it, and return it to the Clerk WITH a copy of your Proof of Residency.
  • Or, on election day register at the polling place

This Voter Registration Guide will answer any registration questions you may have.

Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Absentee voting requests for absentee ballots must be made to the Town of Germantown clerk’s office and must be done in writing either online, mail, fax, email, OR it can be done in person in the clerk’s office. It is available for voters who are confined to home by illness or age or cannot get to the polls on election day.

Requesting to receive an absentee ballot in the mail:

 

The faster and probably easier request method is to do so online at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee  where you will need to upload a valid photo ID for the first time you do this.  Just look for the “Vote Absentee” button near the top of the page. On a mobile phone, use the menu button in the upper right corner of the website. There is a three-step process that starts with putting in your name and date of birth, followed by requesting your ballot. If you don’t already have a photo ID on file with your clerk’s office, you can upload a copy. Mobile phone users can take a picture and upload it to MyVote. Absentee ballot requests submitted this way go directly to your clerk’s office, and you can track your ballot by returning to the website.

The other way Voters can request absentee ballots is in writing by mailing, emailing or faxing their completed EL-121 Application for Absentee Ballot request to the municipal clerk’s office. You can find your clerk’s contact information on MyVote Wisconsin. These requests must be accompanied by a copy of your photo ID.   If you already have a photo ID on file from previous absentee requests under your current registration, you may not need to provide it again.

(Voters who are indefinitely confined, meaning they may have difficulty getting to the polls for reason of age, illness, infirmity, or disability are not required to provide a photo ID.  Voters in care facilities can have a representative of the facility confirm the resident’s identity instead of providing a photo ID.  More information on photo ID and exemptions can be found at www.bringit.wi.gov.)

The deadline for registered voters to request an absentee ballot be mailed timely to you is by 3:30pm on the Thursday before the election. Please do not to wait until the last minute or the last week, due to possible delays in mail delivery.

Once you receive your ballot, it is your responsibility to make sure you place your ballot in the return envelope and properly complete the return envelope -including your signature and your witnesses’ signature and address.  Note that if it is not completed properly, it may not be counted. Then you either mail it back timely, or you personally drop it at the clerk’s office or at the polls.  Your absentee ballot must be received in your clerk’s office or at your polling place by 8 p.m. on Election Day so it gets back in time to be counted.

If, when you get your absentee ballot in the mail and you change your mind on voting it and mailing it back, you can still decide to vote at the polls on Election Day if you haven’t returned it -just bring that whole envelope and ballot back to the polling place so you can vote it there.

 

For in-person absentee voting:

 

In the week before the election, you can come to the Town of Germantown clerk’s office to make your request to absentee vote, and you must show your valid photo ID.  Note that you cannot take a ballot with you if you choose to vote in-person -you must cast your ballot in the clerk’s office at that time in a properly completed envelope. Also note that there is no voting the day before the election.

Again, please request and return ballots as soon as possible.

Thank you for Voting!

More Election Information

Elections for town chairman, town supervisors, chairman, county board supervisor, and municipal judge are held in April.  School district, county, and state non-partisan offices also are elected in April.  Partisan elections are held in August. Persons must be registered in order to vote.

Polling places are open on election days from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Wisconsin Voter Information Available Online

–  Wisconsin Elections Commission – Elections

– My Vote Wisconsin – Wisconsin My Vote

WI –voters can check election and voter registration information on the Internet before each election using the State’s Voter Public Access website at https://myvote.wi.gov/ under Voter Information.

It’s easy to check whether or not you are registered to vote, and where your polling place is. “You simply type in your name and date of birth, or your complete address.”

The Voter Public Access site provides three basic types of information:

-Voter registration confirmation

-Polling place information and lists of offices and officeholders for whom voters at a particular address can vote

-Provisional ballot status for voters who have cast a provisional ballot

When entering information, voters may occasionally encounter prompts concerning spelling changes or other information that must be double-checked or re-entered, such as the difference between “7th Avenue” and “Seventh Ave.” There is an instruction page to help navigate the site.

Near each election, an electronic sample ballot for the municipality may also be available on the site so the voter can review the offices and officeholders who will appear on the ballot.

Voters with questions about Wisconsin Elections should contact the Clerk’s Office at 562-5751 or see the State Elections Division website at https://myvote.wi.gov/.

Voters will no longer be allowed to vote a straight party ticket by simply making one indication. Voters will have to reside in their ward at least 28 days before the election. Voters will not be able to vote on the day before the election. Voters applying for absentee ballots other than in person must enclose a copy of proof of identification with their application.

2022 Post-Election Audit on November 28, 2022’s Election

Town of Germantown in Juneau County Completes Post-Election Audit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:         December 12, 2022

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:   Susan Ganther, Clerk   [email protected]

Town of Germantown in Juneau County, Wis. – Residents in Town of Germantown in Juneau County can be confident that votes were counted accurately in the Nov. 2022 election following the completion of a post-election audit of voting equipment used in Town of Germantown in Juneau County on Nov. 8.

On November 28, 2022, election workers completed an audit of voting equipment in 1 reporting unit (typically a ward or wards that report out election results) in Ward 1 of Town of Germantown, which was randomly selected for audit by the Wisconsin Elections Commission during an event open to the public. The audit provides an additional way to ensure that voting machines worked properly, and that the election was conducted accurately.

Wisconsin statutes require a post-election audit of voting systems used in Wisconsin after each General Election. During the post-election audit, election officials check to make sure the vote totals compiled by the voting equipment on Election Night are accurate. During this process, elections workers conduct an independent hand count of paper ballots and tally the results of the selected contests. The final hand-count tally total is compared to the election night voting system results.

No discrepancy was found.

Audit materials are submitted to the WEC for review. The WEC analyzes the audit results and investigates any discrepancies and can request a voting machine vendor investigate and provide explanation for any unexplained discrepancies. Once this work is complete, WEC staff will prepare a public report for review by the six Commissioners during the Feb. 2, 2023 Commission meeting.

Post-election audits, conducted in a record 10% of reporting units across Wisconsin for the November 2022 election, serve as a triple check on the election results. While not every reporting unit or municipality is selected for post-election audit, state election officials ensured that the 2022 sample of 358 reporting units includes at least one reporting unit per county, and at least five reporting units for each type of equipment used.

Discrepancies in the vote totals are infrequently reported, and if they are, they are typically due to human error, which election officials then work to prevent by developing new training protocols.

In a separate pre-election voting equipment audit that occurs before every election and in every municipality, voting machine programming is verified by feeding a set of pre-marked ballots into each machine and reviewing the results tape that is generated. An errorless count is required at the conclusion of the testing.

Additionally, election officials at the county and state level review state election results for any discrepancies before they are certified by the chair of the WEC.

More information about the 2022 post-election audit can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/2022-voting-equipment-audit

More information about audits generally can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/elections/voting-equipment-wisconsin/voting-equipment-security