News
PRESS RELEASE
DATE: April 12, 2024
TO: Media Outlets
FROM: Rebecca Houseman, City Manager
RE: City Manager thanks election workers after Spring Election
Fort Atkinson residents came to the Fort Atkinson Municipal Building on April 2, to vote in the
Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary.
Despite the challenging weather, 2,282 people voted on Election Day. Including absentee
voters, 2,969 people voted in the City in this election, which equates to just over 44% of those
registered to vote. April elections in the City have seen turnout vary over the last 10 years from
a low of 19% in April 2017 to a high of 69% in April 2016. Overall, the average turnout over the
last 10 years for April elections is 40%.
City Clerk/Treasurer Michelle Ebbert, Deputy Clerk Courtney Thom, and their team of Election
Officials spend many hours preparing, training, communicating, testing equipment and setting
up all before the doors to the polling place open on Election Day. That preparation helps the
day go smoothly, which it did on April 2. Part of setting up for an Election includes ensuring
accessibility for everyone at the Polling Place.
Election Officials understand that the Municipal Building can be a busy place on Election Day
and that there is more of a need for handicap parking spaces. There are three permanent
designated handicapped spaces at the Municipal Building: two along Water Street and one in
the public parking lot on the west side of the building. In addition to those, City staff designate
four spaces for temporary handicap parking adjacent to the overhead doors to the west of the
polling place entrance.
“There were no complaints to Election Officials from voters on Election Day relating to
accessibility,” commented City Manager Rebecca Houseman. “In fact, one voter who entered
the polling place in a wheelchair commended Election Officials at the ease of access and
voting.”
There are many options for persons who do not feel comfortable driving or entering the polling
place on Election Day including in-person absentee voting in the Clerk’s Office before an
election; absentee voting by mail, nursing home absentee voting, designating a registered
agent to assist hospitalized voters and curbside voting from a vehicle on Election Day. There are
processes in place for all of these voting methods, which are used throughout Wisconsin to
provide accommodations for voters with all abilities and preferences.
Accessibility of polling place for all is required by statutes but going above and beyond those
requirements is a passion of the City’s Election Officials to ensure accessible, free, fair, and
transparent elections. April 2, represented such an Election with results that are immutable.
Thank you to our Election Officials for their continued efforts and enthusiasm for the election
process. These folks are our friends and neighbors. If you see names you recognize, please take
a moment to thank them personally next time you see them:
• John Beauchamp
• Jodi Black
• Rick Bleecker
• David Block
• Terese Block
• Adam Bushcott
• Jess Clayton
• Carrie Doyle
• Tom Fick
• Scott Fries
• David Frigo
• Linda Green
• Rick James
• Kathy Kakuschke
• Larry Ketterman
• Diane King
• Bobbie Koch
• Lori Kojord
• Jeff Newbold
• Laura Nyquist
• Tim Smillie
• Mark Statz
• Nettie Toeller
• Linda Turk
• Becky Tuttle
• Michelle Whisner
• Pam Williams
• Jerry Witkins
“Thank you to City Clerk/Treasurer Michelle Ebbert and Deputy City Clerk Courtney Thom for
your dedication to transparency, preparation, and democracy. It truly takes a ‘City’ to run an
election, and I am very proud of our City,” Houseman said.
There will be two more elections in 2024 where City staff and Election Officials will continue
their efforts at promoting democracy through free, fair, accessible, and transparent election
processes. If you are interested in serving as an Election Official or you have any questions
about processes or procedures, please reach out to the City Clerk at
mebbert@fortaktinsonwi.gov or (920) 397-9901.