While most students may not immediately see the importance of voting for the Dane County Board of Supervisors or Circuit Court, small elections build crucial momentum needed for larger races in the state. This small local primary race provides a low stakes environment for students to get comfortable exercising their right to vote. They have the opportunity to visit their polling place and understand the mechanics of the voting process.

If students begin to build the habit of voting early in life, they will face fewer obstacles in the future. Students may need to update their records or register to vote in Wisconsin if they recently moved to Madison. Completing these actions while the polling place is less busy allows students to avoid further stress during statewide or national elections. Voting in these elections makes voting feel automatic rather than a new experience when large races are decided in April and November.

It is for this reason that we believe students should not only vote in local and state elections but also care about who they’re voting for and why.

Since last November’s Presidential Election, political frustration and rage is more noticeable than ever before. Those who voted for Harris were understandably disappointed by the outcome of the election. But students should ask themselves how much of a right they have to anger and frustration when they are only politically active every four years in November.

It is easy to get upset when big elections don’t go your way, but we need to be putting the work in all year round. Especially as college students, small elections such as the Spring Primary can be a real, tangible chance for us to make our voices heard.

In 2025, there were 415,136 registered voters in Dane County. Only 66,570 ballots were cast in the Spring Primary, making voter turnout only 16%, according to the Dane County Election Results.

Voting in small elections such as the Spring Primary can be empowering, if for no other reason than to simply further justify the political rage you’re already feeling.

Local and state elections are where change is made — change that is tangible to students’ everyday lives. By participating in these elections, students may impact the issues affecting them the most. For instance, the candidates running for the upcoming election will influence how the housing crisis is handled, the accessibility of bus routes and more.

Further, local elections are ones that students’ can trust. While, at the national scale, only 16% of 18- to 29-year-olds feel that democracy is working well for them, 60% and 52% of young people trust local and state governments respectively.

It’s clear that student voters played a huge role in big elections. For instance, previous presidential elections have been decided by less than 21,000 votes — that’s not even half of students enrolled at the university, according to Wisconsin Watch. Those numbers make a difference, especially in a swing state like Wisconsin. In the 2022 midterms, young voters broke records with about 12% of all votes in the election coming from 18- to 29-year olds.

The power is there. Now, students need to capitalize on it for small elections, so they may see the changes they seek in their community.

So, what’s on the ballot?

Information on smaller elections can be difficult to locate. If you want to get involved, everything you need to know can be found below.

There is one contested primary that students will vote on during the Spring Primary in the Dane County Circuit Court. The top two vote getters will advance to the Spring General on April 7. Neither primaries in areas heavily populated by students feature more than two candidates in the County Board of Supervisors, meaning all candidates will advance to the Spring General.

Branch 1 of the Dane County Circuit Court

In Branch 1 of the Dane County Circuit Court, incumbent Judge Benjamin Jones is being challenged by Huma Ashan, the former Chief Justice of the Turtle Mountain Court of Appeals in North Dakota and Nathan Wagner, a family and business attorney in Madison.

Benjamin Jones, Incumbent

Jones was appointed to his position in May of 2025 by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers after the seat was vacated when Susan Crawford won election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court last April. Jones announced his candidacy to retain the seat in October of 2025, according to his campaign website. He graduated from University of Wisconsin Law School in 2012. Jones was an attorney with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for 8 years starting in 2017. He became the chief legal counselor for the department in 2019 until his appointment, according to his LinkedIn. He is running on a campaign of his history advocating for children and children’s rights according to his campaign website.

Huma Ashan 

Ashan announced her candidacy for the judgeship in September of 2025. She graduated from Stetson Law School in 1999, starting her legal career in North Dakota as an attorney before serving on the Turtle Mountain Court of Appeals for two years, according to her LinkedIn. She moved to Madison in 2005 and founded Madison Immigrant Law in 2010 where she has worked since. She is running on a campaign for helping marginalized people access legal services according to her campaign website.

Nathan Wagner

Wagner graduated from Case Western Reserve Law School in 2007 according to his website. Wagner only has an incomplete campaign website which can be found here.

In the primaries with more than one candidate for the County Board of Supervisors, students will find different candidates on their ballot depending on where they live.

District 2 Dane County Board of Supervisors

In District 2, which extends northeast past the Capitol bordered by Washington Ave and Wisconsin Ave in the southwest up to Arberg Ave in the northeast, Carlos Rodríguez Lewison is challenging incumbent Heidi Wegleitner, who has held the seat since 2012.

Heidi Wegleitner, Incumbent

Heidi Wegleitner graduated from UW in 2001 with a BA in political science and women’s studies and a law degree from St. Thomas School of Law, according to her LinkedIn. She has served on the board since 2012, focusing on poverty, homelessness and human needs, according to her Board of Supervisors page. She is running on a campaign of increasing funding for affordable housing and expanding social services, according to her campaign website.

Carlos Rodríguez Lewison

The Badger Herald could not find any information about Carlos Rodríguez Lewison at time of publication.

District 7 Dane County Board of Supervisors

In District 7, which encompasses the northern half of the Lake Wingra and the Monroe St neighborhoods, John Fons is challenging incumbent Erin Welsh, who was appointed to the board by Board Chair Patrick Miles in May of 2024 after Cecely Castillo left the seat to become the Chief of Staff for the Board.

Erin Welsh, Incumbent

Erin Welsh graduated from UW Law School and worked at the Office of Crime Victim Services at the Wisconsin DOJ before her appointment to the board. She serves on the Health & Human Needs Committee, the Commission on Sensitive Crimes and the Henry Vilas Zoo Commission, according to her Board of Supervisors page.

John Fons

The Badger Herald could not find any information about John Fons at time of publication.