Circulator Field FAQ — print sheet

Two pages, designed to print double-sided and fold into a clipboard. Page 1 is the hard questions and crisp answers — including the Cross Plains "won't Middleton take over?" objection. Page 2 is the mechanics: who can sign, how to fill the certification, do's and don'ts, and the timeline.

In the print dialog: Letter · Portrait · Margins: None · Background graphics: ON · two-sided (flip on long edge).

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Circulator Field Guide · For volunteers

Answering the hard questions.

Page 1 of 2
Objections
9
Seats
(unchanged)
5 + 4
Anchors +
open
500
Signatures
by Aug 20
Sept 22
Vote · 7 PM
Annual Mtg
§120.02
WI statute
(2)(a)
★ Say this first — the 10-second pitch
"Our school board has nine seats, each locked to one Area — so most years the primary is cancelled and the election goes uncontested, with just one candidate on the ballot. We're petitioning to open four of the nine to any resident in the district. Same board size, more candidates. Got 30 seconds to sign?"
Start here — the big one
★ Most important answer
"Won't Middleton just take over? Doesn't Cross Plains lose out?"
It's actually backwards. Today the City of Middleton's Area holds four of the nine seats; Cross Plains holds two. This plan brings every Area to one equal anchor — so Middleton drops from four to one, Cross Plains from two to one. The biggest block of guaranteed power, the big city's, is exactly what gets opened up. And every resident can now run for four more seats — Cross Plains residents go from 2 seats they can run for to 5.
→ Hand them "A straight answer for Cross Plains" if they want the full breakdown.
The common ones
Does this add seats / grow the board?
No. The board stays at nine. We're changing how the nine are allocated — five geographic anchors + four open at-large.
Won't my Area lose representation?
Every Area keeps a permanent anchor seat. Five anchors, one each, plus four open seats the whole district elects. Today seats are split unevenly; this makes the anchors equal.
Will it change who can vote?
No. Voters elect every seat, anchors included. This only changes who's allowed on the ballot.
Does anyone lose their seat?
No one is displaced. Conversion is gradual at each seat's natural re-election, 2027–2030.
 
Are you saying the current board is bad?
Not at all — they do hard work under tough constraints (referendums, budgets, supporting teachers). This widens the pool of people eligible to run in future elections. Current members can run for an anchor or an open seat.
Why now?
The all-geographic structure has stood since the 1963 Middleton–Cross Plains merger — 60+ years. Most large WI districts moved to hybrid or at-large long ago. We're catching up.
Is it partisan?
No. A structural governance change — no party, no PAC, no funding behind it.
How do I know it's legal?
Authorized under Wis. Stat. § 120.02(2)(a). The petition was counsel-reviewed. We file shortly after; the vote is at the Annual Meeting Sept 22 — only electors in the room vote.
What if all the open seats go to one town anyway?
Possible, but it would take a clean sweep of every open seat in a low-turnout, non-partisan race — hard to do. And those members must then win district-wide and answer to everyone. Today's locked seats answer to no one outside their Area.
"I don't have time / send it to me."
Signing takes 30 seconds. If they still want to wait — hand a card or flyer: "Read it at openseatsmcpasd.org; you can download and mail the sheet."
openseatsmcpasd.org  ·  Questions: [email protected]
#OpenSeatsMCPASD
Circulator Field Guide · For volunteers

How to collect a valid signature.

Page 2 of 2
Mechanics

Who can sign

A qualified elector of MCPASD: someone 18+, residing inside the district, and eligible to vote there. One signature per person. If they're unsure whether their address is in MCPASD, let them sign and note it — we verify later. When truly in doubt, collect the info; don't turn people away.

What you collect, on the official sheet

  • Their signature
  • Printed name (legible)
  • Street address inside MCPASD
  • Date signed
The certification is what makes it count. On the front of every sheet, right below the signature lines, is the circulator's certification (Wis. Stat. § 8.40) — sign it there, not on the back (the back is printed instructions only). Fill it out yourself when the sheet is full or at day's end — you're certifying you personally witnessed each signature by a qualified elector. A sheet with no certification is invalid. Don't skip it, don't backdate it, don't sign for seats you didn't witness.

What to carry

  • Petition sheets on a clipboard + spare pens
  • One-page handouts & QR cards for the undecided
  • Tabletop placard if you're at a fixed spot
  • Your ID, in case someone asks who you are

Do

  • Lead with the 10-second line, then ask: "Would you sign?"
  • Stay warm about the current board — this is additive, not an attack.
  • Keep the clipboard steady; tether the pen.
  • Hand a card to anyone who hesitates — they often sign later online.
  • Return completed sheets promptly — don't sit on them.

Don't

  • Don't pressure or argue. A "no" politely is fine.
  • Don't collect from non-residents (forward them the link instead).
  • Don't fill in anyone's info for them beyond helping spell.
  • Don't leave sheets unattended.
  • Don't guess on legal questions — point to the site or text Chase.

Key dates

Now → Aug 20
Collect signatures (target 500+ valid)
Aug 21
File with the district clerk
Sept 22
Annual Meeting vote, 7 PM
2027–2030
Gradual conversion at re-election
Stuck or unsure? It's always okay to say "Good question — I want to get that exactly right. It's all at openseatsmcpasd.org, and I can have someone follow up." You never have to wing a legal answer.
Mail signed sheets: 3795 Swoboda Rd, Verona, WI  ·  [email protected]
#OpenSeatsMCPASD