Results in for Tuesday’s Spring Primary Election in Dane County

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – The results are in for Tuesday’s local primary election in Dane County, dictating who will continue onto the April local general election ballot, and who is out of the race. 

In the 51 Dane County precincts that had an election yesterday, 4,856 people cast their ballots, or a turnout of 7.9%. That’s the lowest turnout percentage in a spring primary election in Dane County since 2014.

There were two primary races for a seat on the Dane County Board. In District 13 in downtown Madison, incumbent Jay Brower handily moved onto the general election with 67.6% of the vote. The race for second was much closer, with Travis Austin continuing onto the general election with 18.8%, and Ronan Rataj out of the race with 13%. Only 29 votes separated the two candidates. 

In District 36 around Cottage Grove, two newcomers will be on the ballot in April. David Peterson took first place by just one vote, getting 327 votes. Loreen Gage took second with 326 votes. Andrew McKinney took a distant third with 219 votes, leaving him out of the race. 

In the race for Monona Alderperson, seven candidates vied for six places on the April ballot. Incumbent Brian Holmquist took first with 671 votes, with incumbents Teresa Radermacher (604 votes) and Patrick DePula (583 votes) following behind. Jerry Thompson, Candyce VerBurg, and Rachel Kugle will all continue onto the general election ballot. Jeff Verburg took 7th place, meaning he will not continue onto the general election.

In the race for Sun Prairie Alderperson in District 2, Santiago Rosas took first place with 45.6% of the vote. Bill Baker took second with 34.7%. Matthew Hill came in third with 19.5%, leaving him out of the race. 

The final race in Dane County was for a seat on the Middleton-Cross Plains School Board. Katie Frank took first place with 50.6%. Lauren Rogers came in a distant second at 18.1%. Both Frank and Rogers will continue onto the April ballot. Nate Day (14.2%) and David Bell (16.3%) were eliminated from the race. 

The spring 2024 local general election will take place on April 2. While turnout was relatively low in Tuesday’s primary, that likely won’t be the case in April as voters also cast their ballot in the presidential primary election. Also appearing on the ballot on April 2 are two statewide referendums. The first asks whether or not any levels of government should be barred from applying or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for election administration. The second asks if only election officials designated by law can perform tasks in the conduct of elections. 

Once the local ballots are finalized, you can see what will appear on your ballot at MyVote.wi.gov. Ballots are typically available 21 days before a state or local election, or on Tuesday, March 12.