Monday, December 31, 2012
From Scott Walker emerging as the only governor to survive a recall and Paul Ryan being selected as Mitt Romney's running mate for president, a national spotlight shined bright on Wisconsin this year.
Divisive — from recalls to recounts, it became a buzzword for Wisconsin politics in 2012. A national spotlight shined bright on Wisconsin this year, as it was a historic one for politics. Scott Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville became a national household name after being selected as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate and state voters elected Tammy Baldwin to fill Herb Kohl's seat, making in her the first openly gay woman in the U.S. Senate. On the heels of a slew of recall elections and large-scale protests on the steps of the state Capitol building, the year kicked off with more recall attempts, including one aimed at Gov. Scott Walker. …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Muskego mud-slinging takes a new turn downward as leftover resentments from the contentious Lake Park issue spills into the aldermanic elections
Relevant or not, this story which revealed past indiscretions of a member of the Common Council could have been a new low in small-town politics. The story received a lot of traffic with many comments in support for Alderman Dan Soltysiak as well as those defending the release of documents from the alderman's past. This was one of the more difficult stories to present, as ignoring it was just as obvious as running it. However, the idea of Patch is to allow discussion, and it was a fairly even split among commenters. Ultimately, Soltysiak went on to win re-election for the 5th District seat in April. You can now debate on whether negative campaigns work or not. Read the original story, which ran in March, here: Alderman's Record: A …
Friday, November 16, 2012
While the polls closed at 8 p.m. on election day, Nov. 6, counting of absentee ballots went late into the evening, prompting Muskego's Mayor to ask for help from the state
Muskego's turnout in the Nov. 6 presidential election was indeed robust, and for the most part went off without a hitch. "I have to say thank you to our election officials, the day went unbelievably smooth," Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti announced just prior to the Common Council meeting on Tuesday. "We also had a record number of early voters, and we had extra poll workers that we called in to central count here at City Hall to work with the absentee ballots. Even I was enlisted to help out, and I can tell you the process is just ridiculous," she said. Workers took until past 2 a.m. Wednesday morning to complete the casting of nearly 7,000 absentee ballots. They began around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, and the process of opening each ballot in a sealed …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Despite a national outcome that put Barack Obama in the White House for another four years, Republican candidates continued to dominate at the local polls
Muskego's polls were busy before and during the elections on Tuesday, with registered voters showing up in strong numbers, averaging 91.4 percent turnout. (see attached table) The city's 5th District polling station recorded the highest turnout at 92.13 percent, with the 6th District reporting a still-impressive 90.68 percent on the low end. Despite reports of overvoting causing problems elsewhere, only a handful of such incidents occurred on Tuesday. Voters also came out in spite of road construction, cold temperatures, rain and later fog. A slow process in counting absentee ballots was perhaps the only minus on the day, as the nearly 7,000 ballots took until the wee hours of Wednesday to complete. In the end, the Republicans maintained …
A big turnout for a big day in Muskego saw 90 percent cast ballots, but it was the votes cast early that kept the vote from being decided
Muskego had turned out strong weeks before the polls opened as absentees and again on election day, posting an approximate 90 percent overall turnout. A daylong tour of the seven polling locations in the city saw much of the same story: early heavy turnout with voters willing to wait in long lines before the polls opened, and some even lining up an hour or more to get a good place in line. Weather and road construction also didn't seem to deter voters from getting to the polls either, and few problems were reported. By 10 a.m., lines dwindled, but it was also obvious that the majority of registered voters had already cast ballots; an average of 60 percent turnout was reported at most polling locations. By 2 p.m., that number would exceed …
Monday, November 5, 2012
It's finally arrived - election day! Got questions on the ballot, polling places, or candidates? It's all here.
Even though about 25 percent of Muskego voters have already cast a ballot, that means 75 percent of you haven't. Got questions? Elect to check our guide out to make sure you know who's on the ballot and where to cast it.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Generally closed at 4:30 p.m., the clerk's office will remain open until 7 p.m. to handle what has been a heavy voter turn out for the November elections.
To acommodate as many voters as possible, City Hall has offered extended hours on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Absentee voters have until 5 p.m. on Friday, November 2 to cast early ballots. If you are registered, you can also print and complete an Application for Absentee Ballot; the application must be received by the clerk no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, November 1 in order for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you. Ballots received by mail must be returned in the affidavit envelope by mail or in person to the City Clerk at City Hall by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. If your absentee ballot is received after Election Day, it must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by mail no later than 4 p.m. on the Friday after the Election to …
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A steady stream of absentee voters indicates a public that's either eager to vote, or eager to get the elections over with.
Apparently voters have not tired of casting ballots this year. After five elections this year, the biggest one looms less than two weeks away, and the Muskego clerk's office is reporting impressive numbers of early voters and requests for ballots. Kim Chavie, elections clerk, said "it's been nice - steady but not long lines, and so far we've had 899 voters come in to place absentee ballots." In addition, requests for mail ballots has also been robust, with 1,249 of those sent to Muskego residents. "It's definitely busier than previous elections, so it will be interesting to see what happens on election day for turnout," Chavie said. To accommodate as many voters as possible, City Hall has offered extended hours on Saturday, October 27 from…
Thursday, October 11, 2012
It's finally here! Election Day - where to vote, when to vote, and who's on the ballot.
Tuesday is Election Day in Muskego and across the country, and Patch has everything you need to know in our Muskego Election Central. LIVE 2012 ELECTION RESULTS Presidential and U.S. Senate results only represent votes in Muskego. Congressional and state legislative results are for entire district. How we've voted Muskego is part of what many feel is the most conservative county in the state, and previous presidential elections have born that out. In 2008, the John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket won over the Barack Obama/Joe Biden ticket 9,332 to 5,057. The race in 2004 saw the Republican incumbents George W. Bush and Dick Cheney winning by an even larger margin over John Kerry and John Edwards 9,419 to 4,350. In each of those elections, the…
Simple Bacon
10:14 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Yes, I work full time and my commute is 90 minutes each way. Never missed an election. I'd hazard a guess that most people these days would stand in line for hours for a Black Friday deal on a new iPhone but expect drive thru service on election day. Not saying this is you Interested Party but I'm not all that sympathetic to the demands for low wait time on something that should be as important … more ›