Absentee voting encouraged, some polling places changed for June 2nd election
June 2nd is election day for voters in Lake County, the City of Madison, and the Madison Central School District. Voters throughout the county will vote in the state’s primary election, which will also include a local Republican Lake County Commission primary. But also that day, Madison City and Madison Central School District voters will vote for city commissioners and school board members. That election was to be held on April 14th, but with the COVID-19 pandemic and CDC recommendations in place, the state legislature voted to allow city and school board elections to be moved to a Tuesday in June. Lake County Auditor Bobbi Janke told Lake County Commissioners during their meeting Tuesday that the elections are not combined, but that the three entities will be sharing resources to help make it all go smoothly. She said that the county has been able to utilize the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison for voting in past elections, but that building will not be available in June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. County commissioners Tuesday approved a resolution setting the Madison Downtown Armory as the polling place for the three Madison City precincts for the June election. The resolution also states that the three other rural precincts who normally vote at the Playhouse will now vote at the Lake County 4-H Center in Madison. This includes Herman, Winfred, Farmington, Leroy, Clarno, Orland, and Lakeview Townships. Â
While the polling places are available on election day, for the safety of voters and the election workers, Janke said all voters are being encouraged to vote absentee. Â
The absentee ballot applications are being sent out to all registered voters by the Secretary of State’s Office next week. Janke said that there are a couple of things voters will need to do in order to receive a ballot from the Auditor’s Office.
Janke said that the Auditor’s Office will handle all of the absentee ballots for both the primary election and the Madison City and Madison Central School Board elections. She said that the city and the school district are helping with the process, but the ballots themselves will be streamlined through the Auditor’s Office. Â
Janke said that voters who still want to vote absentee at the courthouse can do so also by calling the Auditor’s Office at 256-7600 or e-mailing [email protected] so an appointment can be scheduled.
More information on the absentee ballot process can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.
Link to Lake County Primary Election Sample Ballots:
