Wisconsin votes in spring primary Tuesday

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Iron County voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the state’s spring primary.

The lone race on the ballot involves no local candidates. Instead, voters will decide who will face off in the general contest for state superintendent of public instruction in April.

Seven candidates appear on the ballot — Deborah Kerr, who worked 13 years as superintendent of Brown Deer Schools; Jill Underly, superintendent of the Pecatonica Area School District; Sheila Briggs, an assistant state superintendent; Shandowlyon Hendricks-Williams, who has 25 years’ experience in the education field; Steve Krull, a principal in the Milwaukee Public Schools; Troy Gunderson, who worked for 35 years in public schools; and Joe Fenrick, a Fond du Lac High School science teacher for 15 years.

The seven candidates face off for an open seat after incumbent Carolyn Stanford Taylor opted not to seek a full term following Gov. Tony Evers appointed her as his replacement following his election as governor in 2018.

Evers’ election as governor means the race is the first time in a dozen years the state’s top education spot has been wide open and it’s only the second time since the 1980s that Evers isn’t on the ballot.

Turnout in the primary is expected to be low.

Meagan Wolfe, the state’s top election official, said Monday that based on absentee ballot returns and the number of in-person only voters the turnout will likely be similar to past spring primaries.

“I expect this will be a very low-turnout election,” Wolfe said.

In 2017, the last time there was a state superintendent race, turnout was just 8.3%. The 2018 race, which featured a primary for a seat on the state Supreme Court, had a 12% turnout.

As of Monday, only 38,154 absentee ballots had been returned and just over 1,700 voters decided to vote in-person early.

In the record-setting November presidential contest, 1.3 million absentee ballots were returned and nearly 290,000 people voted in person.

Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Editor’s Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.