Frequently Asked Questions

For voters, the process is the same as any other election in our community. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Voters will go to their regular polling place, except for voters who normally vote at Lumen Christi Church, which was unable to serve as a polling place for this election. Voters who would normally vote at Lumen Christi will instead vote at Mequon City Hall. Absentee ballots must be delivered to the voter’s polling place no later than 8:00 p.m. on election day in order to be counted.

If you are not a candidate on the ballot, yes. Observers must check in with the Chief Inspector at the polling place and sign the observer’s log. Wisconsin law sets forth rules for polling place observers. (Wis. Stat. s. 7.41.) The Chief Inspector will inform you of any rules you must follow.

Except to vote, candidates may not be present at any polling place until after the polls are closed. After the polls are closed, candidates may be present to observe the election inspectors (poll workers) conduct their end-of-night procedures.

Like every other election, there is a chief inspector and election inspectors (commonly referred to as poll workers) at each polling place. These individuals are recruited and trained by the City of Mequon and Village of Thiensville, respectively. We understand that the poll workers are largely, if not entirely, the same poll workers that have worked in the past for each community. The School District is not involved in their selection or training. However, for this election, the School District will be required to reimburse the City and Village for their pay.

The Chief Inspector of the polling place and the municipal clerk (Mequon City Clerk or Thiensville Village Clerk) are responsible for the operation of each polling place. District staff will not be at the polling places, except in their capacity as voters.

Either the Mequon City Clerk or the Thiensville Village Clerk, as appropriate.

The poll workers at each polling place will process returned absentee ballots for that polling place throughout the day. Depending on workload, this processing might continue after the polls close.

After all voters have cast their ballots and all absentee ballots have been processed, the poll workers at each polling place will conduct their standard end-of-night procedures and reconciliations. This includes ensuring that the voter numbers match the total number of votes cast in each reporting unit (ward or group of wards). This process is open to the public, including candidates.

Ballots are cast into the same optical scan tabulators used at other elections. At the appropriate time, the poll workers will prompt the tabulator to print out copies of the results tape (similar to a receipt) that shows the results for that polling location. The official copies of the results tapes are signed by the poll workers and returned to the City Clerk or Village Clerk with other election materials from their polling place.

In regular elections, the tabulating equipment at each polling place electronically sends the results to the Ozaukee County Clerk, and the results are then posted on the County Clerk’s website. Because there are no state or county races in this election, that function is not available to us.

Therefore, special legal counsel for the School District, accompanied by off-duty law enforcement, will travel to each polling place after 8:00 p.m. to collect a duplicate copy of the results tape, and bring the duplicate copies to the District office. The District's Chief of Staff will then input that information into a spreadsheet for public distribution on the District website, at https://www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/board/2021-special-election. These are unofficial results until the election is canvassed.

Like other elections, the poll workers will seal the ballots into tamper evident bags and deliver the sealed bags to the Mequon City Clerk or the Thiensville Village Clerk. The day following the election, the municipal clerks will ensure all of the various items of paperwork from all of the polling places are in order. By statute, the municipal clerks are required to deliver several items of paperwork, including the sealed ballot bags and the official, signed results tapes from each polling place to the School District on the day after the election (Wis. Stats. ss. 7.51(5)(b), 120.06(14)). The District will then maintain secure custody of these items. The ballot bags do not need to be opened unless there is a specific issue requiring it during the canvass and/or a recount.

The Ascension Cedar Creek Medical Clinic on Pioneer Road is in the Mequon-Thiensville School District, even though it is in the City of Cedarburg. All land that is in the School District is required to be included in the election and election results, even when there are no registered voters.