I had a lengthy conversation about a potentially very important rule regarding the upcoming primary election tomorrow. The question — “Can I vote for candidates from both parties in the primary?” In other words, if I vote in a contest for a Republican spot, can I also vote in Democrat races? To me, at least, the answer was not immediately obvious.
And here’s the answer — according to an explanation on the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board’s website:
-If a voter designates a party preference and then casts a vote for a candidate in another party or writes in a name under another party, only the votes cast for candidates of the party designated will count.”
If you declare a party, any votes you cast in races for the opposite party are not counted. But this is where it gets tricky:
“-If a voter doesn’t designate a party preference and votes for candidates of more than one party or writes in a name under another party, none of the votes will be counted.”
If you don’t declare a party but cast votes in races for both parties, your ballot is thrown out. So be careful! Only vote in races for one party or the other, or your voice will not be heard. No crossing over.
Our friends over at the Sheboygan Press wrote a very clear and informative article on this that’s definitely worth a read.