DANE COUNTY, Wis. — With the general election only days away, many Wisconsin residents took advantage of the last day of early in-person voting on Sunday.
What You Need To Know
- Republican candidate Anthony Hamilton and Democrat candidate Kalvin Barrett are currently fighting to become the next Dane County Sheriff
- Barrett currently serves as the Dane County Sheriff and said he plans to continue doing the work he's been doing
- Hamilton said he doesn't agree with the way things are being run and if elected, he wants to use evidence-based policing
- Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8
The last few days leading up to Election Day are also a key time for candidates.
Republican candidate Anthony Hamilton and Democrat candidate Kalvin Barrett are currently fighting to become the next Dane County Sheriff. They spent the weekend finishing up their campaigning.
“It is important for the community to be able to ask the candidates themselves on what’s important, but also find out what our platforms are,” said Barrett.
Barrett, who is currently the Dane County Sheriff, spent his Sunday morning going door to door, asking community members what they would like to see fixed in the county. Many said they wanted to see car thefts stop.
“We have our stolen vehicle ops, which as of last week we were able to recover a stolen vehicle, two guns and arrest four individuals,” said Barrett.
Crime reports from the Madison Police Department show that car thefts have almost doubled from 2017 to 2021, rising from 449 to 834 thefts.
If elected, Barrett said he plans to keep running the Madison Police force as he has been.
“Number one, focus on public safety and community engagement, number two, we will focus on enhancing our jail diversionary program and number three, we want to make sure we hire a sheriff’s office and professional staff that is reflective of the community that we serve,” said Barrett.
His opponent, Anthony Hamilton, said he does not agree with the way things are being run and if elected, he said he plans to take a different approach.
“My message has been policing, not politics. I want to use evidence-based policing instead of political theater,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton said the top issue on the community’s mind has been car thefts, but also gun violence and the way Barrett is handling current Dane County inmates.
“My opponent, after he was appointed, changed the designation of the people inside the jail to residents instead of inmates,” said Hamilton. “I have had an enormous number of crossover voters come to me and say, ‘I am a lifelong Democrat, I have never voted for a Republican in my life, but that’s too extreme.’”
Hamilton said he believes he can bring something to the table that he claims Barrett has been quietly getting rid of — and that’s police.
“I think what the public needs to know is that we have someone who has the experience and knowledge on how to solve crimes and go after the criminals, or someone who coddles inmates and lies about it to the public,” said Hamilton.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.