Voters in Portage County and throughout the state will go to the polls Tuesday, Feb. 17, for the Wisconsin Presidential Primary, as well as two local contests.
The largest local race will involve a primary for three seats on the Stevens Point Area Board of Education. Eight candidates have filed nomination papers for the three positions, and the primary is required to reduce the number of candidates to six.
Seeking the positions on the Stevens Point School Board seats are incumbents Elmer Fournier and John Martin, former superintendent of schools Dwight Stevens who serves on the County Board, former board member Mark Marti, Samuel L. Levin, Eric J. Krszjzaniek, Rory Suomi and Dean M. Kovalski.
Longtime board member Barbara Ruesch, who would have been the third incumbent, declined to seek re-election.
The other local race involves the District 9 seat on the Portage County Board of Supervisors. The district, which mirrors the District 9 aldermanic seat on the Stevens Point Common Council, covers the west side of the city, plus an area immediately south of Clark Street. The polling place for the District is Edgewater Manor, 1450 Water St., Stevens Point.
In that race, incumbent Supervisor Eugene G. Szymkowiak, 872 W. Oakridge Lane, Stevens Point, faces challenges from Douglas Stingle, 1932 Church St., Stevens Point, and David Medin, 2101 West River Drive, Stevens Point.
The Feb. 17 presidential primary is a change in Wisconsin. The primary traditionally was held on the first Tuesday in April to coincide with the regularly scheduled spring elections for local government.
However, the state Legislature voted to move the presidential primary up to the third Tuesday in February to give the state more prominence in selecting presidential nominees.
State residents will have the opportunity to designate a nominee for the Democratic and Libertarian parties, or vote for "Uninstructed Delegation" or write in a candidate. President George W. Bush is unopposed on the Republican portion of the ballot.
Democrats listed on the ballot are Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr., John Edwards, Howard Dean, John P. Kerry, Wesley K. Clark, Al Sharpton, Dick Gephardt, Carol Moseley Braun, Dennis J. Kucinich, and Joe Lieberman. Since filing to be on the ballot, Clark, Gephardt, Moseley Braun and Lieberman have stopped campaigning.
On the Libertarian section of the ballot, Michael Badnarik and Gary Nolan are the candidates.
Voters may only vote for one candidate in the presidential primary.
Polls open at 7 a.m. in Stevens Point, the village of Plover and the towns of Hull, Plover and Stockton. They open at 8 a.m. in the village of Amherst and the towns of Buena Vista and Grant. All other polls open at 9 a.m.
All the polls close at 8 p.m.