Voters To Elect New State Supreme Court Justice

Wisconsin voters will head to the polls Tuesday to elect a new state Supreme Court justice and weigh in on an amendment to the state Constitution.

The campaign for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is the marquee race of this spring election.

Two candidates are vying to fill the seat on the state’s highest court currently held by conservative Justice Michael Gableman.

In a campaign highlighted by increasingly partisan attacks for an officially nonpartisan office, Milwaukee County Judge Rebecca Dallet is the candidate backed by liberals and Sauk County Judge Michael Screnock is supported by Republicans.

The court currently has a 5-2 conservative majority.

Eliminating The State Treasurer’s Office

Voters will also decide Tuesday whether to amend the state Constitution to eliminate the office of the state treasurer. The question was put on the ballot after it passed two consecutive legislative sessions.

Supporters of eliminating the office argue it has been stripped of so many duties it no longer needs to exist. Opponents argue the treasurer provides an important check on executive power.

The current treasurer, Matt Adamczyk, supports the move.

If voters approve the change, the office will be closed by January 2019.

Other Ballot Measures

Ballots will also include elections for some appellate and circuit court judges, local offices — including school boards and city officials — and a number of school funding referenda.

The stakes are high for some of the school funding requests, as a new state law requires no failed voter referenda in the past three years for some low-spending districts to be eligible for an automatic property tax increase.

The amount of absentee ballots cast so far in this race indicate it may see higher than average turnout for a spring election in a non-presidential election year.

In 2015, about 18 percent of the voting age population turned out to vote in a state Supreme Court race, according to the state Elections Commission.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.