RIVER FALLS – Depending on where you live in River Falls you may be voting in a new district in the upcoming primary and general elections. The approval of new state legislation maps by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April rearranged districts around the state.
River Falls residents will feel the effects.
The new lines affect ballots for state senate and assembly elections. Federal Congressional maps in and around River Falls were not affected by the new boundaries, but there were changes to districts elsewhere.
River Falls City Clerk Amy White said the city is used to working with the residents who live in the two counties within the city.
“This stuff is common but not so much for election district changes,” White said. “However, I don’t see the redistricting as a major disturbance.”
The largest change will be for residents of Pierce County. Those residents will be in different state assembly and senate districts than those residing in St. Croix County. They were previously, and will continue to be, in different Congressional districts.
Pierce County, shown in yellow, represents the new state and assembly election maps for residents. St. Croix County, represented in grey, did not have their district map changed. Although a majority of River Falls residents live in Pierce County, City Clerk Amy White the change is not a major impact. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin State Legislature.
Because of the new maps, residents in Pierce County are now a part of the 3rd Congressional District, the 31st Senate District and the 93rd Assembly District.
Residents in St. Croix County are not changing districts. They remain part of the 7th Congressional District, the 10th Senate District and the 30th Assembly District.
“Most River Falls residents live in Pierce County, so they will be affected by the change,” White said. “I don’t see it as a big change, they will just have different candidates on their ballots.”
White said residents changing districts do not need to re-register to vote. Additionally, the city allows same day registration for first time voters.
Residents living in Pierce County will see different names on their primary and general election ballots. The primary election is on Aug. 9 and the general election is on Nov. 8.
In the 3rd Congressional District Democratic incumbent Ron Kind is retiring, leaving the position open. Four Democrats are running for the nomination. The four candidates are Rebecca Cooke, Deb McGrath, Mark Neumann and Brad Pfaff.
Derrick Van Orden is running as the Republican candidate for the vacancy.
In the 31st state Senate District, Democratic incumbent Jeff Smith is running against Republican David Estenson.
The 93rd Assembly District race is between Republican incumbent Warren Petryk and Democrat Alison Page.
St. Croix County residents will see familiar names on their ballots since they did not experience any changes.
Only the Congressional and the assembly districts are holding elections this fall. This means only two races are up this year. Republican Rob Stafsholt, representing the 10th Senate District, is not up for election.
Republican incumbent Tom Tiffany is running against Democrat Richard Ausman for the 7th Congressional District seat.
The 30th District Assembly race is between Republican incumbent Shannon Zimmerman and Democrat Sarah Yacoub.
Candidates had until June 1 to file their candidacy. The deadline was statewide.
White said activity at the clerk’s office has picked up in recent weeks as the primary election approaches. She said the office is scheduled to mail out around 800 absentee ballots.
“It’s surprising we have this many to mail out,” she said.
Residents of both counties can request an absentee ballot for the primary elections. The deadline to request absentee ballots is Aug. 4.
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