MONROE - Unbound and rebound, voters at the polls this April will find county redistricting changes abound.
In Green County, redistricting was precipitated by a 9.5-percent population increase, mostly in the northern townships, over the previous decade. The population shift forced the county to delete one district in the City of Monroe and carve one into the northeast corner to equalize district population numbers. The county had 31 districts, and by law, was not allowed to create more.
Voters will not have to re-register to vote, unless they have actually moved to another address since they last voted, according to Green County Clerk Mike Doyle. Voters can register at the polls on Election Day with proof of residency.
Also, voters will be able to vote at the same local poll places they have used in the past, even if they find they are now living in another district or ward due to redistricting.
All the voters' names are on the poll list, said Doyle. Changes in their supervisory districts and city wards have been made in the poll books.
Town, city and village clerks do a double check on Election Day to assure voters are getting their correct ballots, which is one reason why a voter needs to state his full name and address for the election official who checks him in.
But voters would do well to know the new districts in which they are living, and the candidates running in that district, to prevent any surprise candidate choices on the ballot when they get into the poll both.
The chance of a surprise ballot, and the need to choose among candidates running for the same office, is no greater than in the City of Monroe, which was reduced from 10 to nine county supervisory districts and their corresponding aldermanic wards.
Some areas of the city have been split between two neighboring areas; some have just shifted geographically; and other areas have been renumbered.
The best approach to voting, even before Election Day, may be just to forget the old and learn the new boundaries.
Many Monroe voters once living in the city's Ward 4 - which would, otherwise, not have an aldermanic election this year - will find they are now living in the new Ward 7, which has three candidates vying for the seat on the city council: Thurston Hanson, incumbent; Louis Armstrong; and Tony Gratz.
Some voters living in the southwest corner of the city may find they are no longer registered in the deleted Ward 10, but rather, in new Ward 5, which was shifted westward. Ward 5 also has three candidates running for the same seat.
Voters in the western portion of old Ward 10 will be registered in Ward 9, where redistricting gives a former alderman, Charles Schuringa, the opportunity to run again for council. Schuringa lost his Ward 10 seat to Tyler Schultz in 2011.
Chris Beer, who held the Ward 9 seat in 2011 but now lives in Ward 6 after redistricting, is no longer eligible to represent the ward.
And if voters of old Ward 10/new Ward 5 aren't confused enough, they will find their Ward 10 alderman, Tyler Schultz, on the Ward 5 ballot, along with newcomer Scott Golackson, challenging incumbent Charles Koch. Schultz will continue for one more year as a Ward 10 alderman if he loses the Ward 5 election, but then Ward 10 will dissolve.
While the greatest boundary shifting happened within the City of Monroe, Doyle said efforts were made to make redistricting easier and less expensive for municipalities and elections.
Within the county, boundaries were pushed to keep 11 towns intact, up from nine intact towns previously. The northeastern Towns of Exeter and Brooklyn went from two to three supervisory districts each. The remaining 11 districts retained their village, town or ward boundaries.
District maps of Green County and the City of Monroe are also available at the Green County website, www.co.green.wi.gov., listed under Resources/Directories.
In Green County, redistricting was precipitated by a 9.5-percent population increase, mostly in the northern townships, over the previous decade. The population shift forced the county to delete one district in the City of Monroe and carve one into the northeast corner to equalize district population numbers. The county had 31 districts, and by law, was not allowed to create more.
Voters will not have to re-register to vote, unless they have actually moved to another address since they last voted, according to Green County Clerk Mike Doyle. Voters can register at the polls on Election Day with proof of residency.
Also, voters will be able to vote at the same local poll places they have used in the past, even if they find they are now living in another district or ward due to redistricting.
All the voters' names are on the poll list, said Doyle. Changes in their supervisory districts and city wards have been made in the poll books.
Town, city and village clerks do a double check on Election Day to assure voters are getting their correct ballots, which is one reason why a voter needs to state his full name and address for the election official who checks him in.
But voters would do well to know the new districts in which they are living, and the candidates running in that district, to prevent any surprise candidate choices on the ballot when they get into the poll both.
The chance of a surprise ballot, and the need to choose among candidates running for the same office, is no greater than in the City of Monroe, which was reduced from 10 to nine county supervisory districts and their corresponding aldermanic wards.
Some areas of the city have been split between two neighboring areas; some have just shifted geographically; and other areas have been renumbered.
The best approach to voting, even before Election Day, may be just to forget the old and learn the new boundaries.
Many Monroe voters once living in the city's Ward 4 - which would, otherwise, not have an aldermanic election this year - will find they are now living in the new Ward 7, which has three candidates vying for the seat on the city council: Thurston Hanson, incumbent; Louis Armstrong; and Tony Gratz.
Some voters living in the southwest corner of the city may find they are no longer registered in the deleted Ward 10, but rather, in new Ward 5, which was shifted westward. Ward 5 also has three candidates running for the same seat.
Voters in the western portion of old Ward 10 will be registered in Ward 9, where redistricting gives a former alderman, Charles Schuringa, the opportunity to run again for council. Schuringa lost his Ward 10 seat to Tyler Schultz in 2011.
Chris Beer, who held the Ward 9 seat in 2011 but now lives in Ward 6 after redistricting, is no longer eligible to represent the ward.
And if voters of old Ward 10/new Ward 5 aren't confused enough, they will find their Ward 10 alderman, Tyler Schultz, on the Ward 5 ballot, along with newcomer Scott Golackson, challenging incumbent Charles Koch. Schultz will continue for one more year as a Ward 10 alderman if he loses the Ward 5 election, but then Ward 10 will dissolve.
While the greatest boundary shifting happened within the City of Monroe, Doyle said efforts were made to make redistricting easier and less expensive for municipalities and elections.
Within the county, boundaries were pushed to keep 11 towns intact, up from nine intact towns previously. The northeastern Towns of Exeter and Brooklyn went from two to three supervisory districts each. The remaining 11 districts retained their village, town or ward boundaries.
District maps of Green County and the City of Monroe are also available at the Green County website, www.co.green.wi.gov., listed under Resources/Directories.