TAA Voter’s Guide for the Spring 2021 Primary Election

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TAA Voter’s Guide for the Spring 2021 Primary Election

The TAA Political Education Committee has compiled a voter guide for the Spring 2021 Primary Election on February 16!

In races with more than two candidates, these elections will narrow the field down to two for the general election. People across Wisconsin will vote for the State Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction; people in Dane County District 12 will vote for their supervisor; and people in Madison Districts 9, 16, and 18 have competitive Common Council primaries.

The TAA has endorsed Rebecca Kemble in the Madison Common Council District 18. The TAA Political Education Committee also recommends voting against Paul Skidmore in District 9. 

If you already have an absentee ballot, drop it off by 5 PM on Monday, February 15, or at your polling place on Tuesday, February 16. If you don’t have an absentee ballot, vote early in-person by Saturday, February 13. You can also register and vote in person at your polling place, linked above, on election day, Tuesday, February 16.

TAA Voter Guide for the Spring 2021 Election

The Spring 2021 General Election is coming up on Tuesday, April 6

See below for more information about the positions, candidates, and voting.

Wisconsin State Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction

The State Superintendent of DPI:

  • Manages the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
  • Oversees public schools and libraries
  • Seeks and promotes ways to improve schools
  • Evaluates performance of schools
  • Serves four-year terms with no limit on terms
  • Serves on the UW System Board of Regents

More information about this role can be found on the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Fact Sheet.

Candidates

Jill Underly

*** Endorsed by the TAA ***

Deborah Kerr

Dane County Board of Supervisors

Although the elections for the Dane County Board of Supervisors are usually held in even years—with the next full election scheduled for Spring 2022—this year there is an election for Dane County District 12. Click here for the Cap Times Q&A with the candidates in this race.

Madison Common Council

All 20 Common Council seats are up for election on April 6th. Click here to look up your district / current alder by address. The TAA has endorsed candidates in the following districts:

  • District 2: Benji Ramirez Gomez
  • District 6: Brian Bedford
  • District 8: Juliana Bennett
  • District 9: Nikki Conklin
  • District 12: Tessa Echeverria
  • District 14: Brandi Grayson-Tuck
  • District 18: Rebecca Kemble
  • District 19: Aisha Moe

All Common Council candidates

District 1

  • Barbara Harrington-McKinney (I)

District 2

Statement from TAA Political Education Committee: Ramirez Gomez grew up on Madison’s Northside, was introduced to city politics through the protest community, and brings a radical view of what is possible to the conversation. A strong abolitionist, they have consistently advocated “refunding the community” as the flip side of “defunding the police”; they believe that investment in historically forgotten communities is a better use of the city’s limited resources than buying more tools to criminalize those communities. The TAA is particularly drawn to the holistic view Ramirez Gomez takes in considering policy. Their politics align with the TAA’s political platform, but more importantly are informed by their experience and their love of their community, and give them a moral basis from which to tackle future challenges. We believe this makes them the best choice for Madison Common Council in District 2.

District 3

District 4

  • Michael E. Verveer (I)

District 5

District 6

District 7

  • Nasra Wehelie (I)

District 8

Statement from TAA Political Education Committee: Bennett is one of the co-founders of the UW-Madison BIPOC Coalition, through which she has worked with the TAA to put on protests and other actions focused on curtailing UWPD’s power, demanding a moral restart, and advancing our financial precarity campaign. She has also been an active participant in both university and city government meetings, speaking at Common Council on the issues above and in favor of shifting resources from MPD to meeting the basic needs of the community. Currently, alongside her campaign for alder, she is involved with the ASM’s effort to provide financial relief to students during the pandemic. The TAA agrees that the way forward in Madison is with as few barriers to community participation as possible, and we believe that Bennett’s history of collaborative advocacy makes her the best choice for Madison Common Council in District 8. We encourage supporting Juliana Bennett campaign events and voting in the spring election by Tuesday, April 6.

District 9

Statement from TAA Political Education Committee: Conklin has demonstrated her commitment to equity, justice, affordable housing, and community safety. She has proposed rethinking the city’s policing systems through the civilian oversight board, elimination of chemical weapons use against any human being, and abolition of qualified immunity. She advocates for affordable housing, supported through Housing First models and supporting tenants rights. To ensure community safety, Conklin expresses her support for equitable access to healthcare, supporting after school programs, and community building and engagement. Nikki Conklin is the candidate for Madison Common Council, District 9, who best supports the issues at the heart of the TAA Political Platform: criminal justice reform, community building, community engagement, environmental protections, and addressing roots of systemic political and social injustices.

District 10

District 11

District 12

District 13

District 14

District 15

District 16

District 17

District 18

Statement from TAA Political Education Committee: In her public statements and voting record, Alder Kemble has demonstrated her commitment to environmental justice, public housing and transit, and criminal justice. Over the last year, Kemble has supported efforts to remove police officers from Madison schools, has worked on resolutions for ending Madison Police Department’s use of chemical weapons, has worked to invest city funds in our bus transportation and low-income housing, and has called on UW–Madison to provide a better response to Covid-19. Rebecca Kemble is the candidate for Madison Common Council, District 18, who best supports the issues at the heart of the TAA Political Platform: economic dignity, civil rights, quality public education, environmentalism and biodiversity, voting rights, and good governance.

District 19

District 20

How to vote by mail in the April election:

  1. Register to vote by mail in the upcoming election.
  2. Mail your absentee ballot in by March 23 to allow two weeks for USPS delivery: Madison City Clerk’s Office, 210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Room 103, City-County Building, Madison, WI 53703
  3. Drop it off at a Ballot Drop-Off Site!

How to vote in person for the April election:

  1. In-person absentee voting is available at multiple locations from March 23 to April 3.
  2. Vote at your polling location on April 6, 7am – 8pm