Some of the 2026 elections have been in the news for weeks; even months. Now it is December and the candidates for the Spring 2026 elections are taking the necessary steps to get their names on the ballot for the April 7th General Election. The spring election is non-partisan, meaning political parties are not officially involved and candidates run without a stated political party affiliation.

If there are more than twice the number of candidates for available positions being contested then there will be a non-partisan primary on February 17 and the top place finishers –again, two per contested position-- will go on to the April 7th General Election.

Elections in April will include the State Supreme Court, District IV of the Court of Appeals, county non-partisan offices, circuit court judges, municipal offices, and school district offices. There may be referendum questions – either statewide, local municipalities, or school districts.

For most offices, interested candidates must go to their municipal or county clerk’s office to learn of the opportunities and the requirements to become a candidate. In some cities, for example, only a portion of the city council is elected each year. Generally speaking, a certain number of nomination signatures must be collected from qualified electors in your district. Prospective school board members need to go to the School District office and complete some paperwork and generally no nomination signatures are needed. All requirements must be met by very early January but it is good practice to have requirements completed and turned in by the last working day in December to allow a minimum of time to correct errors or omissions.

The “big ticket” election in April will be for an open seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court as one justice is retiring. There appears to be two viable candidates, but the nomination process continues until early in the New Year. One candidate, Judge Chris Taylor, announced last May that she was a candidate while the other one, Judge Maria Lazar, only announced relatively recently.

Judge Taylor is currently an Appeals Court Judge with experience as a Circuit Court Judge. She has also been a State Legislator who as a Democrat represented part of Dane County and was previously affiliated with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. She was appointed to the Dane County Circuit Court by Governor Evers. Taylor may claim to be for “protecting the rights of all people” and a “champion for … victim’s rights” but as a legislator she voted twice against Marsy’s Law which protects victim’s rights!

Judge Maria Lazar is currently an Appeals Court Judge with experience as a Circuit Court Judge in Waukesha County. Previously she worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. She was elected to the Circuit Court and then elected to the Court of Appeals by beating the Governor Evers appointed incumbent, 54% - 45%. Lazar has the variety of judicial experience to make an excellent Supreme Court Justice Judge Lazar has about twice the “bench time” as Judge Taylor.

The other major spring election is the Appeals Court Judge in District IV – which includes the greater Coulee Region except Trempealeau County. As of this writing, there are “no declared candidates”! This doesn’t rule out the possibility there may be a candidate that hasn’t yet filed declaration of candidacy paperwork. The incumbent, Judge Rachel Graham is currently sitting silent. She was a July 2019 Governor Evers appointment to the Appeals Court.

Appeals Court requirements are simple: be a Wisconsin citizen, be a licensed lawyer in Wisconsin for five years, and be under the age of seventy. Although this Appeals Court sits in Madison, it is my understanding that they seldom meet in Madison but research their cases independently and meet by conference call. More information on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals can be found on pages 271-273 of the 2025-2026 Wisconsin Blue Book.

It is imperative that “we the people” find an experienced Wisconsin lawyer that believes in the Rule of Law and does not want to legislate from the bench to be a candidate for District IV of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals! Then, it is equally imperative that “we the people” actively campaign for this as yet unknown candidate! The absence of a candidate will allow a write-in candidate to then win with only a handful of votes. Or, worse yet, no victor on Election Day will allow a Governor Evers appointment to fill the vacancy.

Other spring elections are local in nature and, while still important, don’t have a significant Coulee Regional impact. Nevertheless, you are encouraged to do due diligence and get informed and get involved. We can’t forget the cliché that “All politics is local”! And, these local elections certainly impact the local citizens!