Brown County voters to decide court, presidential races

By Press Times Staff

BROWN COUNTY – Three races up for election Tuesday, April 7, will be able to be decided by all eligible voters in Brown County.

There is a contested race for county circuit court judge in Branch 8 between incumbent Beau Liegeois and challenger Andy Williams with the winner earning a six-year term.

Liegeois was appointed to the position last September by Gov. Tony Evers to replace the retiring Judge William Atkinson.

He previously was an assistant district attorney in Brown County for 11 years and also served eight years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard as a judge advocate.

Liegeois graduated from the Valparaiso University School of Law.

His last bid for public office was two years ago when he ran for the 8th Congressional District seat on the Democratic ticket and lost in the November general election to the Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher.

The Liegeois campaign for judge calls him a “fair, unbiased leader for Brown County.”

Williams, who graduated from Marquette Law School, has prior elective experience serving one term as a county supervisor in District 18 from 2008-10.

He is running for judge as a “rule of law” attorney while touting his background as a military veteran serving in Operation Desert Storm and his involvement in forming and establishing the Brown County Drug Court, as well as being a board member of the Madison-based Legal Action of Wisconsin and a member of the Wisconsin Access to Justice Pro Bono Honor Society.

State Supreme Court

The contested race for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court involves an incumbent justice, Daniel Kelly, being challenged by Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky.

Kelly, who was appointed in 2016 by then Gov. Scott Walker to replace retiring Justice David Prosser, previously was an attorney in private practice for more than 20 years and argued cases at the state and federal level, including Wisconsin’s legislative redistricting plan signed into law by Walker and in effect since the 2012 elections.

Karofsky, who was elected to a six-year term as a circuit court judge in 2017, previously was the executive director of the Wisconsin Office of Crime Victim Services and also worked as an assistant state attorney general and deputy district attorney in Dane County, as well as being general counsel for the National Conference of Bar Examiners and an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Presidential primary

The only partisan race on the ballot is the presidential preference primary, where voters may select either the Democratic or Republican Party, but not both.

Though the Democratic primary is now a two-person race between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, there are 12 candidates listed with those who previously dropped out also included.

President Donald Trump is the only Republican listed.

Voters who don’t care for any of the presidential candidates on the ballot may vote for a write-in by adding a candidate’s name or no candidate by selecting the uninstructed delegation.

Ballot update

On Friday, April 3, U.S. District Judge William Conley ruled signatures and addresses of witness are required on absentee ballots.

Ballots in envelopes that do not have a complete certification will not be counted per state law.

A husband or wife can be used as a witness when submitting an absentee ballot.

Ballots must be received by your local government by 4 p.m. Monday, April 13.

Any ballot received after this deadline will not be counted.

Previously, Evers proposed legislation that had several provisions aimed at making voting easier and more accessible during the public health emergency.

A brief summary of that legislation is available here.