Donate
Search wpr.org
A fresh new WPR is coming. New schedules start May 20. Learn more -->
, , , , ,

Live: Joe Biden Wins Wisconsin Presidential Race

Associated Press Declares Winners In Presidential Race, 8 Congressional Contests

By
ballot, vote, voting, election
Poll workers sort out early and absentee ballots at the Kenosha Municipal building on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. Wong Maye-E/AP Photo

Democrat Joe Biden has won the presidential race in Wisconsin.

The Associated Press called the race at 1:16 p.m. Wednesday, after hours of Biden holding a lead of around 20,000 votes over Republican President Donald Trump in the state.

When the race was called, Biden had 49.57 percent of the vote, or 1,630,396 votes. Trump had 48.95 percent of the vote, or 1,609,879 votes. That’s a difference of 20,517 votes. All but one precinct was reporting. That precinct had 300 votes that needed to be counted.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Before the race was called, the Trump campaign said it will request a presidential recount in Wisconsin.

Election Day 2020 in Wisconsin crept into Wednesday because thousands of ballots still needed to be counted, and several races hadn’t been called.

Wisconsinites have been voting for weeks — by mail, at drop boxes and at early polling sites — but hundreds of thousands more cast ballots in person Tuesday in an election to not only help decide the presidency, but also congressional, state and local offices across Wisconsin.

The election came as the state grapples with one of the most severe spikes of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the country. As a result, Wisconsin saw a record-breaking number of people voting early — nearly 1.9 million as of Monday afternoon, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. That meant clerks were counting ballots well into the wee hours of the morning Wednesday and results in the crucial swing state may not be known for some time.

Neither the president nor Biden took Wisconsin for granted. Both visited the state several times during the campaign, with Trump making three stops here in just the past week.

Lower down the ballot, voters decided on congressional representatives, including a close race in western Wisconsin’s 3rd District, where longtime Democratic incumbent Ron Kind inched ahead of his Republican challenger and in southeast Wisconsin’s 5th District, where GOP state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald easily won his race to take over for Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, who is retiring after four decades in Congress.

There were also several notable state legislative races on the ballot.

Wisconsin Public Radio will be tracking election developments and posting updates here — and in our broadcast and online coverage.

To see election results, visit WPR’s election results page.

For a compilation of all WPR’s coverage, visit WPR’s Politics section.

Here are the latest updates on the election in Wisconsin:

2:50 PM WEDNESDAY: AP: Trump Campaign Seeks To Halt Vote Counts In Pennsylvania

The Trump campaign says it’s suing to temporarily stop the vote count in Pennsylvania, claiming lack of “transparency.”

1:25 PM WEDNESDAY: Joe Biden Wins Wisconsin Presidential Race

Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden has claimed Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral College votes, according to a call made by the Associated Press at 1:16 p.m. Wednesday. With just shy of 100 percent of precincts reporting, Biden was leading Republican President Donald Trump 49.57 percent to 48.95 percent — a gap of roughly 21,000 votes.

The Trump campaign has already pledged to seek a recount in Wisconsin.

11:44 AM WEDNESDAY: Trump Campaign Manager Promises Recount

President Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, tweeted out a statement calling public polling a “voter suppression tactic” and claiming reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties. Stepien said the president will “immediately” request a recount.

11:07 AM WEDNESDAY: US Rep. Ron Kind Reelected To 13th Term

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, of La Crosse, has won reelection to Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race at 11:07 a.m. Wednesday, hours after Kind claimed victory in posts on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Kind won with 51.42 percent of the vote, compared to the 48.58 percent of the vote his challenger, Republican Derrick Van Orden, of Hager City, received.

8:31 AM WEDNESDAY: US Rep. Ron Kind Claims Victory

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, of La Crosse, has claimed victory in the race for the 3rd Congressional District, according to his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Kind was challenged by Republican Derrick Van Orden, of Hager City, a retired Navy SEAL who was endorsed by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

The Associated Press had not called the race as of 8:35 a.m. Wednesday, when it was reporting 99.5 percent of precincts reporting with Kind leading 51.45 percent to 48.55 percent of the votes, or 199,216 votes for Kind and 187,966 votes for Van Orden.

Kind is vying for his 13th term.

8:05 AM WEDNESDAY: State Election Officials Restate Vote Counting, Reporting Process

7:50 AM WEDNESDAY: Republicans Won’t Win Veto Proof Majority In State Legislature

Wisconsin Republicans won’t win a veto-proof majority in the Legislature, based on preliminary election results from a handful of swing districts around the state.

Republicans needed to flip three seats in the state Assembly and three seats in the state Senate to win a two-thirds majority in both chambers. That margin would have let them override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, giving them the power to set the agenda in state government on everything from the state budget to the next round of redistricting.

Read the story.

6:50 AM WEDNESDAY: 2020 Election Appears To Be Second-Highest Turnout Ever

6:45 AM WEDNESDAY: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Reporter Examines Voting Patterns For Trump In Wisconsin

6:25 AM WEDNESDAY: Biden’s Lead Increases As Green Bay, Kenosha Results Come In

6:15 AM WEDNESDAY: Republicans Win 30th State Senate District

4:45 AM WEDNESDAY: Wisconsin Has Seen Close Presidential Races In The Past

3:53 AM WEDNESDAY: Biden Takes Lead In Wisconsin Race Totals

3:14 AM WEDNESDAY: Pfaff Has Defeated Kapanke

1:41 AM WEDNESDAY: Record Absentee Voting Fuels Turnout Across Wisconsin

By Monday morning, already about 1.9 million Wisconsinites had returned their absentee ballots. There are still some to be counted in Milwaukee and Brown counties.

According to the Associated Press, almost 2.9 million votes had been counted by 1:15 a.m. Wednesday. That’s compared to just over 3 million votes cast in Wisconsin in the 2016 presidential election.

Concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and fear of long lines on Election Day contributed to the surge in early voting.

In Dane County, where counting wrapped up just after midnight, voter turnout was up about 7 percent compared to the 2016 general election. More rural Wisconsin counties also saw high rates of turnout, like Florence County, where more than 92 percent of voters cast ballots, according to the county clerk.

11:30 PM: US Rep. Mike Gallagher Wins Another Term

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher of Allouez held onto his seat in the 8th Congressional District for a third term, winning against Democratic state Rep. Amanda Stuck of Appleton. The race was called by the Associated Press at 11:25 p.m. Tuesday, with Gallagher winning 65.09 percent of the vote and 76.21 percent of precincts reporting.

11:20 PM: US Rep. Tom Tiffany Wins Rematch, Rep. Glen Grothman Wins Fourth Term

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, again beat out Democrat Tricia Zunker, of Wausau, in the 7th Congressional District. The candidates first faced off in a special election in May after former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy resigned. When the Associated Press called the race at 11:18 p.m. Tuesday, Tiffany was leading with 61.75 percent of the vote with 87.9 percent of precincts reporting.

In the 6th Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman of Glenbeulah won his fourth term after facing Democratic challenger Jessica King, of Oshkosh. With 60.12 percent of the vote and 84.58 percent of precincts reporting, the race was called by the Associated Press at 11:20 p.m. Tuesday

10:50 PM: US Rep. Bryan Steil Wins First Reelection

U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, won his first reelection bid for the 1st Congressional District in southern Wisconsin, fending off a challenge from Democrat Roger Polack, of Caledonia. The race was called by the Associated Press at 10:49 p.m. Tuesday with Steil earning 64.97 percent of the vote with 86.49 percent of precincts reporting.

10:20 PM: Madison Mayor Says Turnout Was 82 Percent Of Registered Voters

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway issued a news release Tuesday night noting turnout Tuesday was higher than previous elections.

The news release said the city clerk’s office “issued a record-breaking 127,900 absentee ballots, and virtually all were counted before polls closed.” Officials said turnout as of 6 p.m. was 157,536, or 82.4 percent, of registered voters. This is higher than the turnout in both 2016 and 2012, according to the news release.

“We prepared for months to make this election, in the midst of COVID-19, as safe as possible for voters,” the mayor said in the news release.

10:14 PM: US Rep. Mark Pocan Wins Reelection

In the 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, won his fifth term, beating Republican challenger Peter Theron, of Madison. At around 10:15 p.m., Pocan had more than 71 percent of votes with about 70 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press.

9:20 PM: State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald Wins 5th Congressional District

State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, has won his bid for the state’s 5th Congressional District. The win keeps the southeast Wisconsin district in Republican control after U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner chose not to seek reelection. Fitzgerald beat out Democrat Tom Palzewicz of Brookfield.

At around 9:20 p.m., Fitzgerald had almost 66 percent of the vote, according to the Associated Press.

The seat covers much of Milwaukee’s western suburbs and portions of Jefferson, Washington, Dodge, Milwaukee, Walworth and Waukesha counties.

9 PM: US Rep. Gwen Moore Wins Another Term

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, of Milwaukee, has won reelection in Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District, beating out Republican Tim Rogers and independent candidate Robert Raymond, both of Milwaukee, for her ninth term in Congress. At around 9 p.m., Moore had nearly 64 percent of the vote; Rogers had about 33 percent; and Raymond had just over 3 percent, according to the Associated Press, with more than 95 percent of precincts reporting.

8:55 PM: Polls To Close Soon In Iowa, Nevada

As Wisconsin vote totals continue to come in, two more states are expected to close soon.

8:47 PM: Initial Ozaukee County Numbers Show Trump With A Lead

8:43 PM: Initial Dane County Numbers Show Biden With A Lead

8 PM: Polls Close Across Wisconsin

The polls have closed across Wisconsin on Tuesday.

7:15 PM: Voter Turnout In Eau Claire Over 30,700 So Far

Eau Claire City Clerk Carrie Riepl told WPR 30,700 votes had been counted as of 6:30 p.m. with unopened absentee ballots and voters still moving through the polls. That’s around 4,500 fewer than the city’s total vote in the 2016 presidential election. As of Tuesday, Wisconsin reported 2,066,614 absentee ballots had been issued with 1,924,838 received by clerks.

6:50 PM: AP: 42 Percent Of Voters Say Pandemic Was Top Issue

6:35 PM: Biden Watching Election Results From Delaware Home

6:10 PM: State Election Officials Explain Paper Record Of Every Voter’s Ballot

5:55 PM: Madison City Clerk Says 89 Percent of Absentee Ballots Have Been Tabulated

5:45 PM: NPR US House Races To Watch

5:40 PM: Trump Visits Campaign Headquarters In Virginia

5:20 PM: Wisconsin Watch: Voters Head To Polls Tuesday

4:45 PM: Small Group Of Voters Gather At Madison Polling Site

Kimberly Schopf cast her vote at Wellspring United Methodist Church on the west side of Madison Tuesday evening. She voted for Biden, saying she likes him because “he’s not Trump.”

Schopf said she liked former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, but said she “didn’t have to think too hard about voting Democratic” even though her top choice didn’t make it on the general election ballot.

Schopf said “for the first time ever” she’s concerned about how the country will react to the results of the election. She’s a teacher and her school took the step of putting together resources for students or staff who may feel trauma or need support Wednesday. “That alone makes me think, ‘Wow, this is a different era,’” Schopf said. “This is different. This is somehow qualitatively different from previous elections.”

Poll workers at the church were busy processing absentee ballots.

Madison West Side, voting, election
Rachael Vasquez/WPR
Madison West Side, voting, election
Rachael Vasquez/WPR

3:24 PM: Voters Line Up In Hartland To Cast Their Ballots

Voters gathered in face masks as they sought to complete their ballots in person in Hartland on Tuesday afternoon.

A voter in a white face mask looks through plexiglass as a poll worker holds up a ballot
Maxx McGinnis listens to instructions on how to fill out his ballot Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at St. Charles Catholic Church in Hartland. The issue of climate change motivated him to vote for the first time. Angela Major/WPR

3:11 PM: Milwaukee Mayor Talks Election Status

3:05 PM: Madison City Clerk Says Poll Workers Have Tabulated More Than Half Of Absentee Ballots

3:02 PM: AP Outlines Procedure For Identifying Vote Results

2:50 PM: Federal Judge Orders USPS To Sweep Mail For Absentee Ballots

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered U.S. Postal Service inspectors to sweep more than two dozen mail processing facilities for lingering mail-in ballots and for those ballots to be sent out immediately.

The order includes USPS centers in parts of Wisconsin, as well as central Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, south Florida. It comes after national delivery delays leading up to the election and concerns the agency wouldn’t be able to deliver ballots on time.

The Postal Service’s ability to handle the surge of mail-in ballots became a concern after its new leader, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major GOP donor, implemented a series of policy changes that delayed mail nationwide this summer.

Delivery times have since rebounded but have consistently remained below the agency’s internal goals of having more than 95 percent of first-class mail delivered within five days, with service in some battleground areas severely lagging, according to postal data.

2 PM: Town of Amnicon, Parkland Residents Outline Their View On Presidential Candidates

Amnicon Town Clerk Gary Kane said it has been busy all day with around 300 votes Tuesday morning out of 735 registered voters. He said they’ve registered about 45 new voters today.

Town of Parkland ballot drop box
The absentee ballot drop box in the Town of Parkland has been sealed shut on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. 
Danielle Kaeding/WPR

The town sent out 242 absentee ballots and roughly two dozen have yet to be returned. He said they’re sanitizing the polls and asking people to wear masks. The town added two extra poll workers for a total of seven this year to handle counting absentee ballots.

Kane noted there’s been no issues so far and everyone is treating each other with respect.

About 10 minutes away in the Town of Parkland, around 400 out of the town’s 777 registered voters had cast a ballot in person by midday. The town had already run through 164 out of 253 absentee ballots that were requested for the election, according to Deputy Clerk Lisa Glaus. She said they also have more people working the polls this year.

“We thought we need maybe more because of the absentee ballots and how many we’re running through so we could get all them in before eight o’clock tonight, which we will,” said Glaus.

About 10 minutes away in the Town of Parkland, Jennifer Swenson, 52, voted for Biden because she’s “never been a Trump fan.””I think he’ll put more control on the COVID. At least he wears a mask. Trump doesn’t,” said Swenson.

Two voters wearing face masks
Town of Parkland Clerk Marianne Granquist and Deputy Clerk Lisa Glaus said around 400 of the 777 registered voters had cast a ballot by mid-day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Danielle Kaeding/WPR

Parkland resident Donald Noble said his top priorities heading to the polls this election were taxes and peace.

“I didn’t vote blue,” said Noble as he walked away.

Around midday just south of Superior, Town of Amnicon resident Brandon Sande, 36, said he usually votes Democrat, but he’s backing Trump because he can’t support Biden’s policies. He said that includes “shutting down big oil” and requiring people to wear masks.

“Just a lot of his policies I don’t agree with – the whole Green Deal and the Paris (climate) agreement,” said Sande.

Sande said he isn’t a big fan of Trump personally, but he supports the president’s stance on trade with China. He said he thinks trade tariffs are helping the U.S. steel industry and “getting jobs back over here.”

Amnicon resident Danny Page, 75, said he voted for Trump in the last election because he thought the business magnate would move the nation forward, but he’s supporting Biden this time. Page said he feels Trump has made a mockery of the presidency.

“He’s a liar. He’s a crook. He’s a womanizer, and he’s not presidential at all,” said Page. “He wants to be king rather than president. He wants to rule.”

Page wants to see the civil unrest across the nation subside and see the end of COVID-19. He said he believes Biden will do more to eradicate the disease.

1:17 PM: Voters Wait In Line In Pewaukee

1:11 PM: Madison City Clerk’s Office Updates Turnout, Absentee Ballot Numbers

12:58 PM: No Lines At Polling Places In Fall Creek, Town of Seymour

James Solberg, of the Town of Seymour, just outside of Eau Claire, said on Tuesday that he’s a “shy Trump voter.”

“I’m predicting he wins bigger than last time,” said Solberg. “OK, because there’s a lot of guys like us who want to answer a poll. I don’t want my car keyed in the parking lot if they know who I’m voting for.”

Andrew Eklund, of the Town of Seymour, said he’s voting for Joe Biden. “I really don’t agree with Trump for the Republican Party on almost any issue,” he said. “I guess if I want to talk about what was most important to me, obviously, a lot of people think the way the coronavirus has been handled has not been good. I agree with that.”

Eklund also said that he chose to vote in person at the Seymour Town Hall because he’s young — in his 20s — and feels safer voting in person. He also said he wants to be sure that the in-person tally is “representative” and not skewed too much to Trump before absentee ballots are counted.

“And so when we see the initial results being tallied from the in-person voting, that could look quite a bit different from the final result,” Eklund said.

Voters cast ballots at Fall Creek Village Hall
Voters cast ballots at Fall Creek Village Hall. Rich Kremer/WPR

Alan Millen, of Fall Creek, said he is a Trump supporter, but believes Biden and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris are sincere and think what they want to do is best for country.

“But I guess after listening to (the candidates) and considering all the things that their policies would suggest and imply, I just thought that I like President Trump’s course better,” Millen said. “He has appointed more than two hundred federal judges. … I mean, minority unemployment is down. There’s a lot of, you know, a lot of recent polls show that 56 percent of Americans said they were better off now than they were four years ago. I’m one of them,” he said.

Alan Millen outside the Fall Creek Public Library polling place
Alan Millen outside the Fall Creek Public Library polling place. Rich Kremer/WPR

Millen said he respects the office of the president and will therefore support whoever is elected.

12:50 PM: Short Line At Madison Public Library’s Hawthorne Branch

Voters at Madison Public Library’s Hawthorne branch moved through fairly quickly Tuesday afternoon. There were lines of about eight to 10 people.

A man votes at Madison Public Library's Hawthorne location
Rachael Vasquez/WPR

Joshua Heft cast his vote for President Trump at the library at around midday Tuesday. He said he was concerned about the economy and felt like Democratic candidate Joe Biden was “not all there.” Heft said he was pretty confident about Trump’s chances of winning. On how people will react to the results of the election, Heft said he was nervous, adding that he thought “the country is gonna explode if it’s gonna be Biden.”

A voter fills out their ballot at Madison Public Library's Hawthorne branch
Rachael Vasquez/WPR

Ashley West voted for Biden at the same location. West said she saw “more potential” in Biden, adding that she was optimistic about his chances of winning.

11:45 AM: Poll Workers Counting Ballots In Milwaukee

Poll workers were busy counting absentee ballots at the Central Count facility in Milwaukee on Tuesday morning.

workers at tables sort through ballots in a large room filled with other workers
Workers count absentee ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at the Central Count facility in Milwaukee. Angela Major/WPR
two workers sit at a table and sort ballots
Milwaukee Central Count workers count absentee ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Angela Major/WPR

Read the story.

10:20 AM: No Lines Visible At Polling Location In Madison Middle School

There were no lines as voters trickled in to O’Keefe Middle School in Madison’s east side on Tuesday morning. There were six to 10 voters coming and going between 10 a.m. and 10:20 a.m.

There were bigger lines for poll workers processing absentee ballots.

voters, voting, election, poll
Rachael Vasquez/WPR

10 AM: AP Explains Rules Regarding Poll Watchers

9:41 AM: Voters Line Up To Cast Their Ballot In Superior

Even before polls opened at 7 a.m. in Wisconsin, many voters gathered outside their polling locations, including in Superior.

Nicole Andersen, of Superior, has been a nurse for more than 30 years and currently works at a private facility in Superior for vulnerable adults. She stood among more than a dozen voters who had lined up before the polls opened outside the city’s government center. She said she is voting for Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Woman Waits In Line To Vote On 2020 Election Day
A woman waits in line to vote just before the polls open at the government center in Superior on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
Danielle Kaeding/WPR

“There’s a lot of weariness going on with nurses in this country. I don’t know how long they can actually keep on doing what they’re doing because it’s exhausting. So many people,” said Andersen. “This isn’t even as bad here as it is in so many other areas where it’s become to the point where even some nurses have died.”

Wisconsin has been overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus cases, averaging around 4,000 daily cases in the last week. More than 1,600 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized with facilities operating at 85 percent capacity. She feels like Biden has a plan for responding to the coronavirus pandemic and addressing issues like racial equity that she feels are being overlooked right now.

Daniel Erickson, of Superior, was also waiting in line before the polls opened. He declined to share who he was voting for in this election, but acknowledged it wouldn’t be a Democrat. He said he was voting on the side of life and liberty.

“Without liberty, how can we function as a society, you know, that was founded on principles that men can rule themselves,” said Erickson. “We don’t need a large, huge government to dictate and rule to us.”

Erickson said he was concerned with issues like abortion and opportunities for younger generations, referencing the amount of debt facing people who seek a college education.

Superior Voters Wait For Polls To Open
Around a dozen people stood in line about 6-ft. apart just before the polls opened at 7 a.m. at the government center in Superior on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
Danielle Kaeding/WPR

Superior resident John Cano, 24, wanted to get out to the polls because he thinks people his age should be voting.

“I’m a big fan of democracy as much as it can be, so I want to keep that happening,” said Cano. “That’s why I’m voting.”

Cano was reluctant to say much about his stance on the issues except to say that prevention of the global pandemic was “taken away” by those involved in handling the response. He declined to say who he was supporting this election for fear of negative backlash from others, but Cano is hoping that less chaos and confusion after the election.

9:20 AM: AP Explains How States Will Tally Votes

8:35 AM: Information On Dropping Off A Ballot In Person

8:30 AM: Wisconsin’s Role In The Electoral College, Explained

While Tuesday will mark the end of belligerent mailings and commercials, pollster phone calls and text messages, the process to name the nation’s next president is really just getting started.

That’s because the general election — where people flock to the polls and county clerks spend hours opening, vetting and counting absentee ballots — determines the popular vote, and then it’s up to the state electors to cast their own votes to ultimately decide the next president.

And as the Electoral College’s significance comes into focus after Tuesday, so will Wisconsin’s role in it.

Read the story.

8:12 AM: Elections Commission Offers Info On Provisional Ballot

8:04 AM: Voters Gather At Lapham School On Madison’s East Side

7:55 AM: AP: Ballot Counting Begins In Milwaukee

The Associated Press is reporting that the counting of ballots has started in Milwaukee on Tuesday morning.

7:50 AM: Elections Commission Issues Latest Election Stats

7:20 AM: Milwaukee Mother Brings Family Along To Vote

Voting is sometimes a family affair. Milwaukee mother Crystal Arrington brought her daughter and son to a polling location at Fifty-Third Street School in Milwaukee on Tuesday. A poll worker shared a gift for the family’s future voters.

a child reaches out to grab a sticker while standing by the ballot scanning machine
7-year-old Makaila Arrington, center, gets a sticker from a poll worker while standing with her mother, Crystal Arrington, and her brother, Jacen, right, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at Fifty-Third Street School in Milwaukee. Angela Major/WPR

7:15 AM: Voters Line Up At Milwaukee Polling Location

About 13 voters were waiting in line to enter the doors at Washington High School as polls opened in Milwaukee.

about thirteen voters in a line enter doors to a school as polls open
Voters enter Washington High School as polls open at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Milwaukee. Angela Major/WPR

7:10 AM: Socially Distant Line At La Crosse Polling Location

La Crosse voters awaited the opening of a polling location at the English Lutheran Church on the city’s south side.

[[{“fid”:”1374921″,”view_mode”:”full_width”,”fields”:{“format”:”full_width”,”alignment”:””,”field_image_caption[und][0][value]”:”%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EEzra%20Wall%2FWPR%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A”,”field_image_caption[und][0][format]”:”full_html”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:”La Crosse, voting, election”,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”La Crosse, voting, election”},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”full_width”,”alignment”:””,”field_image_caption[und][0][value]”:”%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EEzra%20Wall%2FWPR%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A”,”field_image_caption[und][0][format]”:”full_html”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:”La Crosse, voting, election”,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”La Crosse, voting, election”}},”link_text”:false,”attributes”:{“alt”:”La Crosse, voting, election”,”title”:”La Crosse, voting, election”,”class”:”media-element file-full-width”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]

7:03 AM: Voters Gather At Eau Claire Polling Location

A line of voters stretched out the door just after the polls opened at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shephard in Eau Claire’s 29th voting district. WPR reporter Rich Kremer took his place at 7:03 a.m., just after deadline, waiting just 10 minutes or so before casting his ballot. He was voter number 30.

Eau Claire, voting, election
Rich Kremer/WPR

7 AM: Polls Open Statewide

And here we go! The polls have opened across Wisconsin. They will close at 8 p.m.

Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Meagan Wolfe held a morning briefing with reporters. She urged Wisconsinites to be patient at the polls. “(Poll workers are) working a long day, a very long day,” said Wolfe. “So be kind and be patient with one another.”

There will be another briefing at 12:30 p.m.

MONDAY: Trump Rallied Supporters At Kenosha Event Monday Night

President Donald Trump stopped in Kenosha on Monday for a campaign rally. Trump told attendees that he would win the state and the election Tuesday.

Trump spoke to a large crowd at the Kenosha Regional Airport — his second stop in the city during the campaign, and his third visit to Wisconsin in just one week.

The president told the group Wisconsin is the state that put him over the top in 2016.

This marked his third visit to Wisconsin in just the past week, and his 10th this year. It came just days after former Vice President Joe Biden made his own campaign stop in Wisconsin.

Background: Read Swing State Series Stories

Over the last several months, WPR’s Swing State series has explored Wisconsin’s place in the 2020 elections and what makes us who we are politically.

Read all of WPR’s Swing State stories here.

Still Undecided?

Here’s some interviews with Wisconsin congressional candidates:

Background: Check Out Resources For More Information

Here’s a series of links that contain information that might be helpful:

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

Related Stories