📝 Have you mailed back your absentee ballot?

🗳️ Did You Mail Back Your Absentee Ballot?

• Election day is Tuesday, April 2.
• If you are voting early with an absentee ballot, get that ballot in the mail pronto. Ballots have to be received by Election Day in order to be counted. (And no, the postmarked date does not count.)
• If you’d like to vote early in person, you can do so at many Madison libraries and community centers until Sunday. Find the location nearest you and check their hours.
• And yes, ballot drop boxes are currently still illegal in Wisconsin, though that could change after the Wisconsin Supreme Court weighs in on another lawsuit. [City of Madison, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

🔌 Judge Halts Power Line Through Wildlife Refuge

• U.S. District Judge William Conley temporarily halted construction on a 1-mile portion of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek high-voltage transmission line that would cross the Mississippi River wildlife refuge.
• The power line is slated to run for more than 100 miles between Dane County and Dubuque County, Iowa.
• Conservationists fear the transmission line will damage the refuge, which serves as a haven for fish, wildlife and migratory birds. [Wisconsin State Journal]

🏢 UW-Madison to Acknowledge Eugenics History

• UW-Madison plans to install a plaque in the Van Hise Hall lobby on campus to acknowledge its namesake’s role in eugenics.
• Charles Van Hise was UW-Madison’s longest serving president and popularized the Wisconsin Idea, that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom. He was also a eugenicist and advocate of forced sterilization.
• The plaque provides a brief explanation and says, “As UW-Madison strives to serve the people of Wisconsin and the world, the legacy of Van Hise reminds us that we must acknowledge and grapple with all parts of our past and our present to move forward together.” [Daily Cardinal, UW-Madison]
• Learn more: Digging in to UW’s Past, Skeletons and All [🎧City Cast Madison]

👀 Another Opening on the County Board

• Cecely Castillo has resigned from the Dane County Board, but she’s not going far. She’s been hired as the next Chief of Staff for the County Board.
• Castillo will appear on Tuesday’s ballot uncontested, but County Board Chair Patrick Miles says he expects the district will be unrepresented until he can appoint someone.
• Do you live on Madison’s near west side, by Lake Wingra? Have you considered becoming the next County Board member for District 7? [Cap Times, Dane County Board]

This sweet girl is Carlotta. She’s an adult pup who was nervous but friendly when she arrived at the Dane County Humane Society in early January. Carlotta can be a bit shy at first, but quickly warms up to show how loving she is. When given the opportunity, she loves to sit close to people or even in their laps. She’s an affectionate pup who gives kisses. Carlotta also enjoys playing with toys, especially tug, and going for walks. This snugly pup often sleeps in bed with her foster family. Carlotta’s ideal home would have humans who are teen-aged and older.

Spring elections mean local races — school board, county board, judges and other non-partisan races — in addition to the presidential preference. The big news of this election is the turnover happening in county government. What will it all mean? City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin speaks with Cap Times Local Government Reporter Allison Garfield to break it all down.