Rural Wisconsin communities struggle to get candidates to run for local offices

On April 2, voters across Wisconsin will head to the polls to cast a ballot for a number of local elections, but for some races, there will be no one to vote for.

A number of local races across Wisconsin — especially in rural areas — have no candidates, leaving voters with no choice over who will represent them on the local level.

In Calumet County, for example, three districts out of 21 on the County Board failed to draw a single candidate in this election.

It's the same situation across a number of local races throughout rural Wisconsin. When candidates' nomination papers were due in January for the spring election, the Shawano County Board had two seats with no candidates, Shawano City Council had one, Winnebago County Board had two, Sheboygan County Board had two, and Howards Grove Board had one.

And while a few races here and there have no candidates, even more have just one candidate on the ballot. For example, for the Calumet County Board, 66% of the seats are uncontested. For the Winnebago County Board, half of 36 seats are uncontested.

Uncontested elections are a trend seen throughout the country. Data compiled by Ballotpedia shows a decline in U.S. electoral competitiveness since 1972, with Wisconsin showing a steady increase in the number of uncontested races.

In 2023, roughly one-half of Wisconsin's elections were uncontested, according to Ballotpedia's election analysis of over 200 races.

Reasons for the lack of candidates include the time commitment matched with lack of monetary compensation as well as declining participation in local government, according to Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"The positions often entail significant time commitments, do not provide much if any monetary compensation, and subject people to complaints, criticism, and even harassment," Burden told The Post-Crescent.

What happens when no one runs for election?

If an incumbent files noncandidacy and no one returns nomination papers for an elected position, there are two ways to ensure an elected representative fills that role.

Before Election Day, potential candidates can file to become write-in candidates, meaning their names will not be on the ballot and voters will have to write in that candidate's name.

Write-in candidates can — but are not always required to — register with their clerk's office just like any other candidate but can do so after the filing deadline.

If a write-in candidate gets majority votes and accepts the position, the person is sworn into the position just like any other winning candidate.

In northeastern Wisconsin's races with no official candidates, most have had write-in candidates step up to run for those positions.

But if no candidates file for candidacy and there are no write-in candidates to take up the role, the elective body moves to appoint someone to the office.

Following the election, the position is advertised as a vacancy the municipality is looking to fill, and interested people submit applications for the position.

Applications then go to the municipality's executive and elected body to review the applications and essentially hire someone to fill the role for the remainder of the term.

Elected positions are often a thankless job with high scrutiny

Burden suggests the lack of candidates running for local races is due in part to the significant time commitment required for the job and the large amount of scrutiny that comes with it.

Municipal elected positions are often voluntary, requiring a large workload with little or no monetary compensation, making it an unattainable position for many individuals who already work long hours or don't want to take on another job.

"Although local office holders often find their work rewarding, it comes with substantial costs and little public appreciation," Burden told The Post-Crescent.

While elected officials perform vital roles in local governance through balancing municipal budgets and ensuring local services function, they aren't usually in the public eye unless something goes wrong.

And as national political issues such as library book bans or transgender bathroom usage trickle down into local government, people interested in serving local elected positions are deterred from the role because of the extra drama, said David Helpap, an associate professor of public and environmental affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay,

"People may have interest in making sure the school board budget is balanced or that the parks are a good quality, but they don't necessarily want to deal with the national issues that have moved into these local governments," he said.

Aging staffs struggle to recruit young people to elected positions

At the local level, government staff and elected officials skew older, according to Helpap, meaning as rural populations age, more and more government positions open up.

A 2023 study by Helpap on the challenges rural governments face found that local officials are noticing a decline in government participation and a sense of community, making it hard for staff to recruit younger generations to elected positions.

Match that with the decline in rural county populations, and Helpap said there's a "significant concern" from local officials that when older elected officials retire there will be no one to take their place.

While incumbents who have been in the role for many terms bring quality, institutional knowledge to the role, Helpap said there's concern that elected bodies are losing out on new, diverse ideas by not bringing in new and younger people to the roles.

And without new and younger people drawn to local government, voters are often left with no choice of who will represent them.

"Having choice is always important," Helpap said. "You want to make sure the people running are representative of your interests and reflective of the population and new trends."

How to run for local office

Wisconsin's local municipal elections typically fall in April, including anything from town board representatives and mayors to municipal judges and attorneys.

Running for city or county offices starts with filing a declaration of candidacy and campaign registration statement and then taking out nomination papers with the clerk's office in the municipality candidates plan to run.

Candidates take out nomination papers in December for spring elections and must get a certain number of signatures from residents in their representative district to qualify for candidacy. The number of signatures is dependent on the level of office.

Candidates must then return the papers by the first Tuesday in January to be placed on the ballot.

If the nomination papers are valid and a required number of signatures checks out, the candidate is officially in the race for an elected position.

Some town and village elections use caucuses instead of nomination papers, where qualified electors of the municipality nominate and vote for candidates. Interested candidates should reach out to the clerk to find out when the caucus is.

Following nomination, candidates are required to continuously file campaign finance reports with the clerk, detailing how they are financing their campaign.

Between nomination and the election, candidates must sell themselves to their constituency, sharing their issue priorities and how they'll act if elected to gather enough support in hopes of winning the election.

Partisan local elections are held in the fall. This fall, the seats up for election include district attorney, county clerk, county treasurer, and register of deeds.

Candidates can start circulating nomination papers on April 15, and they are due at 5 p.m. June 3.