Where do I vote??????????

From the Appleton Post Crescent , an artical about
people that may be disapointed about not voting in
the 8th district election .

LINK

Read my thoughts at the end of the report.

Posted November 3, 2006Political lines drawn to some voters' dismay
8th District's southern boundaries split off part of Outagamie County
By Jim Collar Post-Crescent staff writer
More than a month of dueling advertisements and heated debate will
soon give way to a vote.

But more than a few area residents could be in for a surprise when
they arrive at the polls Tuesday and find John Gard and Steve Kagen
missing from their ballots.

Why the confusion? The Fox Cities sit on the border between the
6th and 8th congressional districts.

The southern border of the 8th District — which will be represented
by either Gard or Kagen — generally follows the southern county
lines across Waupaca, Outagamie, Brown and Kewaunee counties.
A few short miles through the Fox Cities provide the exception.

Sherry Freimuth, who lives in Buchanan, assumed she would have
a vote in the 8th District race. There are plenty of campaign signs
just down the street from her house. Unfortunately, the district
border runs down her street, and her home is on the wrong side.

"We didn't know that," she said, when shown a map.
"That's a big disappointment."

Kimberly and a portion of Buchanan are the only locations in
Outagamie County that won't have a voice in the race.
The areas sit in the 6th District, where Republican Tom Petri
of Fond du Lac is unopposed for re-election.

Sandy Haas, deputy clerk for Kimberly, a village of more
than 6,000, said she's had to explain the district
boundaries to several voters.

"I've received some calls from people who received
their absentee ballots and are wondering why
(Kagen and Gard are) not on there."

Boundary confusion
Confusion likely runs deeper than those few absentee voters.

While all of Kimberly falls within the 6th District, campaign
signs for Gard and Kagen speckle lawns throughout the village.

One resident displaying a Kagen sign said he since learned
he was out of the district, but still wanted to show support.
Another was surprised to learn Petri was his representative.
Others couldn't be convinced that the race wouldn't be on the ballot.

So, just who does get to vote in the heavily contested race?

Most of Appleton sits in the 8th District. The southwest corner
of Appleton located in Winnebago County is the only portion of
the city represented by Petri.

Waupaca County is entirely within the 8th District.

Towns in the Heart of the Valley are where the border becomes
most confusing.

In Buchanan, the 8th District carves out a peninsula within a
residential area east of Outagamie County N. On some streets,
a resident could stand in the 6th District, look through two blocks
of the 8th District and see the 6th on the other side.

Buchanan Town Clerk John Derks said he expects his poll workers
will have to give plenty of explanations to voters come Tuesday.

Outside of Appleton, Harrison's 9th Ward is the only area in
Calumet County included in the 8th Congressional District.
Don't look for its voters to swing the election toward either
Gard or Kagen.

"We have four registered voters in Ward 9," Harrison Town
Clerk Penny Weir said.

Confusion could extend beyond border areas.

The candidates have advertised heavily, and the local television
and radio markets extend far beyond the district borders.

Oshkosh, for instance, sits within Petri's district, though its
residents are equally bombarded by network TV ads as
voters in Brown and Outagamie counties.

Oshkosh City Clerk Pam Ubrig said her office hasn't been
inundated with questions, but a few voters have been
curious as to why the Gard-Kagen race wasn't on their ballots.

Census shakeup
The district border was set by the state Legislature four
years ago in response to the 2000 census.

Michael Keane of the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau
said district boundaries are redrawn after each census due
to population shifts. The goal: Have each district represent
the same number of people.

The new district lines, approved by the Legislature in 2002,
were more drastic than usual because the state lost a member
of Congress in the last census, Keane said.

Derks said efforts to balance population on each side of the
6th and 8th district line explain the confusing border in Buchanan.
"There was no common sense to it other than population."

Before the 2002 change, Little Chute and Combined Locks were
with neighboring Kimberly in the 6th District. The change might
contribute to the confusion in Kimberly given the close
proximity of the villages.

Josh Young recently became a Kimberly resident and decided to
go to the Internet to determine his representative. He expected
he'd be in the 8th District. He was wrong.

"I had no idea Petri was here," he said.

He's now surprised to see Kagen and Gard campaign signs
posted in his neighborhood.

Regardless of where the border winds, it's a race where most
everyone has an opinion.

Municipal clerks have noticed.

"We've had some people disappointed," Weir said. "
They felt they watched the ads for nothing."
Jim Collar can be reached at 920-993-1000, ext. 216,
or at jcollar@postcrescent.com.

Sorry, If they do not know who their canidates are ,

THEY SHOULD NOT VOTE !

Jon Carry is telin u two go two Irak!!!!!!!!!!!

You might want to Stay Home on Tuesday !!!!!!!!!