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Milwaukee Sees Brisk Early Voting Turnout

GAB Expects 40 Percent Statewide Participation In April Primary Election

By
Michael Rosenstein (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Early in-person voting for next week’s presidential primary election ends Friday, and so far, Milwaukee and other cities across the state are seeing more voters cast early ballots.

Early voting is on the rise across both Wisconsin and the country, according to Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Neil Albrecht.

“It gives voters tremendous peace of mind to know that they have cast their ballot in an election and they don’t have to worry about their Election Day schedules,” he said.

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As of Tuesday, 3,564 people had turned up at Milwaukee’s city clerk’s office to cast early, in-person ballots — about three times as many compared to 2012’s totals. As the early voting period comes to a close, Albrecht said, about 1,000 people a day are coming in to vote.

“The increase really has been significant,” he said.

Voters with multiple jobs, child care concerns and last-minute travel are some of the people who take advantage of early in-person voting, Albrecht said.

The state’s Government Accountability Board projects 40 percent of Wisconsin voters will cast a primary ballot, the highest rate in a primary election since 1980 when 45 percent turned out.