In-Person Absentee Voting

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Updated 10-29.  Just two days left of In-Person Absentee Voting.  Today and Tomorrow Noon to 6pm or later if necessary.  There have not been lines.  The longest line was 10 to 12 people and eveyone of those were voted and out the door in under 15 minutes.  If you are registered to vote it takes less than 45 seconds to get your ballot once you are in front of me.  Yes, you can register to vote and vote during in-person absentee voting.  You need to have proof of residence and your ID.  If your drivers license has your correct address that’s all you need.  If not then you need to have a utility bill, pay stub, govt issued document that has your name and your current address. You need to have lived at your new address for 28 days. On election day the lines may be long.  We can only have approximatly 8 to 9 people waiting in the building the rest will be waiting outside.  

I am extending the hours of In-person absentee voting for Wednesday the 28th though Friday the 30th.  I will be conducting in-person absentee voting from Noon to 6pm each of those days.  At this point we have not had lines of people with the longest wait of about 10 minutes.  A good way to tell if there is a wait is by driving by the Town Hall at 440 N US Hwy 14 (Next to Silha Construction) and if the front lot is full there may be a line.  If the front lot is mostly empty probably a very short wait.  Again, I am not sure what the wait will be on election day or how long the lines will be.  During in-person absentee voting I can allow more people in the room because we have only me and possibly one other Harmony person in the Hall.  On election day we will have 7 to 8 people in the hall so we can only alow 3 people in the hall.  We are moving through voters pretty fast.  So come and vote in-person.  

About a Week Out From The Election

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We are fast approaching Election day.  I wanted to give everyone an update on where we are at and a sneak peak at how the Town Hall will be set up for election day so that everyone will be ready.

As of Monday October 26rd we have 1048 Absentee Ballots that have either been mailed out or people that have voted in person.  We have 139 Absentee Ballots that were mailed still outstanding.  If you are still holding one of these please ensure you get those in the mail as soon as possible.  As of this date, all ballots must be at the Town Hall by 8pm on November 3rd election day.  Any ballots received after 8pm on election day will not be counted.  Please see other news items as to how you can return your ballot.  

IN-PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING

The week of October 25th, we will have in-person absentee voting at the Town Hall.  The times for voting at this point are from 1pm to 5pm, Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday through Friday we will be Noon to 6pm.  Please watch the upcoming events part of the home page.   This week it has been a good flow of people doing an average of 30 ballots per day with no long wait times.

I have been asked by many people, what happens to my ballot when I vote in-person absentee?  When you vote in-person absentee, you will see that I put a sticker on your envelope that has your name and address.  To print that sticker I must enter you in the wisvote system as having voted absentee.  You vote your ballot and place it in a sealed envelope.  I sign the ballot as your witness.  At the end of the day I conduct an audit of the number of people that were put in the wisvote system to verify I have the correct number of absentee envelopes compared to what is entered.  Your ballot is then placed in a file box alphabeticaly and that box it placed in the fireproof safe in my office.  I also audit all absentee ballots qtys daily and compare to what the wisvote system says we have on hand.  If the number does not match, I must go through each file box one by one and find where the error is.  (they have matched everyday so far).  On election day our election inspectors will open each envelope one at a time, state the name and address of the absentee voter and feed the ballot through the machine.  We take hourly counts to ensure the number of ballots fed into the machine matches the number we have for ballots that should have been entered.  At the end of the day, all counts from the voting machine are compared to our poll book and the number of absentee ballots that were fed.  The number must match.  

ELECTION DAY

Due to covid and for the safety of everyone, we must limit the number of people in the actual Town Hall to no more then 11 people and that includes our election officials.  So that means that a maximum of 3 voters will be permitted in the Town Hall at any one time. Voters waiting in the hallway are limited to a maximum of 7.  The remainder of those waiting will have to wait outside.  Depending on the traffic there may be a wait outside.  So please dress for the weather that day.   We ask that everyone comes in the front door and exits out the back door.  Again to ensure social distancing.  There will be greeters at the front entance to monitor the number of people in the building.  There will also be a monitor in the hallway to guide everyone into the Town Hall.  We ask that everyone please wear a mask or facial covering.  At the front door we will have pens you can use and take home with you or you can drop in a bucket as you leave.  

We have set up the hall different then what you have seen in the past.  The reasons for this are, help us to limit the number of people in that room and it opens the space up much more to increase the social distancing for those in the room.  

If you do not have a pen, we have pens that you can use and take with you or drop in a bucket as you leave.  Gel pens are not permitted, blue or black ball point pens are to be used and if you are not sure, please take one of the pens provided.  We will have sanitizers on hand and as each voter leaves the voting booth, the sanitizer will clean that voting booth.  We will shut down for 5 minutes each hour to sanitize the room and allow our election inspectors to sanitize their hands and workspace.  

You will see that the area where you come in to pick up your ballot has a 24 foot wall of plexiglass to protect everyone.  This requires that everyone speak up a bit in order to be heard and we will speak up also.  You will have to show your ID and state your name and address.  We have developed a protective signature board that is sanitized after each use.  This will be used when you sign the poll books.  

Our goal is to ensure an accurate and safe election.  Should you have any questions please let me know.  

Thanks

Tim Tollefson

Clerk

 

COVID and the November Election

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As most of you have seen, there has been a spike in Covid cases over the last few weeks.  While I am not trying to talk people into or out of requesting and absentee ballot, I wanted to say that we just over 4 weeks out from the election.  If you are thinking about requesting a ballot for the November Election, now is the time.  We have plenty of time at this point for you to receive your ballot and get it back to me prior to the election.  Using www.myvote.wi.gov is a simple way to request a ballot or if you want to, I have attached an absentee ballot application to the bottom of this notice, you can either mail a copy to me at the below address, drop off in the drop box at that address or you can just drop it off at the Town Hall and I will get you an absentee ballot.  Should you drop off or mail to me, please include a photo copy of your ID (like a drivers license) in the envelope.  Should I not be in the office you can slide it under the door as this is where my mail gets delivered.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to Email me at townclerk@townofharmony.com or call 608-563-4477.  Please take the time to read the other notices about the November election.  Here is the copy of the absentee application.  Fill in the Blue boxes and ensure you sign and date.

https://townofharmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EL-121-Application-for-Absentee-Ballot-2020-06-Fillable_0-1.pdf

Mailing Address 5818 N Kennedy Road, Milton WI 53563

Town Hall  440 N U.S. Hwy 14, Janesville WI 53546  Next to Silha Construction.

One last thought, share this with friends and family on social media.  This information is really for anyone in the State not just Harmony.  

Thanks and have a great day!

Tim Tollefson

Clerk, Town of Harmony

Returning Your Absentee Ballot for the November 3rd General Election

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There are three options for returning your absentee ballot.

1.  Using the Postal Service.  After signing and dating your ballot envelope and having your witness sign and putting down their address you can return your ballot in your mailbox.  As we get closer to election day I suggest taking your ballot to the Milton Post Office Desk and hand it to a postal worker.  This will cut the time of return down by several days.

2.  You can return the ballot envelope to my home address.  I have a lock box at the bottom of my driveway that is attached to the fence next to the gate that we enter to go into the basement.  We check this several times a day and the box is under 24 hour surveillance.  My address is 

5818 N Kennedy Road

Milton WI 53563

3. You can return the ballot envelope to my office at the Town Hall.  I am usually in the office from 1pm to 5pm.  The building is open from 7am to 5pm Monday through Friday.  Should I not be in the office when you stop by, you can slide your ballot under my door.  That is where my mail gets delivered.  440 N US Hwy 14, Janesville WI 53546.  The back office.

Again, be sure to sign and date your envelope, have a witness sign and put their address on the envelope.  Using the mail is safe.  In 5 years there have only been a couple of instances where something happened.  You can track your ballot on www.myvote.wi.gov .  Go to this sight, click on “TRACK MY BALLOT”, Enter your name and birthdate.  Click on ‘SEARCH”.  Click on “VIEW MY REQUEST”  now you can view the date you submitted a request, The date is was approved and the date it was sent.  When you send it back you and then see if the clerk has received your ballot and the date I received it.  After the election (probably a week or better later) you can verify that your ballot was counted.  

Again it is so important that you sign and date your ballot envelope and have a witness sign and put their address on the envelope before mailing.  

Should you have questions please let me know.

Thanks

Tim Tollefson  Clerk

Ballots Samples for November 3rd Election

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Below are the Sample Ballots for the November 3rd Election

Ward 1                https://townofharmony.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/November-3rd-Ballot-Ward-1.pdf

Wards 2-5 Milton School District  https://townofharmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/November-3rd-Ballot-Wards-2-5-Milton-School-District.pdf

Wards 2-5 Janesville School District https://townofharmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/November-3rd-Ballot-Wards-2-5-Janesville-School-District.pdf

Ward 6      https://townofharmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/November-3rd-Ballot-Ward-6.pdf

Thanks

Tim Tollefson

November Election Referendum on the Ballot

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On the November Ballot the Town of Harmony has a referendum.  The questions appears like pictured.  Question:  Shall the person holding the office of Town Treasurer in the Town of Harmony be appointed by the Town Board?  

Right now the Treasurer position is an elected position.  Our last Treasurer had to leave the position because her property was annexed into the City of Janesville.  Elected positons must live in the Town of Harmony to serve.  Mary Check is our current Treasurer and does a great job for the residents in Harmony.  Her property is surrounded by the City of Janesville and to avoid losing her should her property be annexed, we are looking to make the Treasurer position an appointed position where the person is not required to live in Harmony.  More than half of the Town’s in Rock County have this position as an appointed position.  Its a tough position to fill as the pay is not great for the amount of work a treasurer is required to do.  So we ask that you vote yes on the referendum.  As always if you have questions, please let me know.

Thanks

Tim Tollefson

Clerk, Town of Harmony

 

Labor Day Garbage Collection Reminder

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Just a reminder that the Week of Labor Day, Garbage and Recycling collection will be on Tuesday the 8th of September.  Also, Bulk Pick Up is Scheduled for Monday September 14th.  You need to Call into Advanced by Friday September 11th to receive a pick up.  Reminder that our contract with Advanced allow for electronics such as TVs, Computers and the like.  The number to call is 1-800-248-2373.  They will need to know the items, your address and remind them you are in the Town of Harmony.  Questions please let me know.

Thanks

Tim Tollefson Clerk