Voter Turnout Steady During Midterm Primary

Election workers around the state reported steady turnout at the polls for Wisconsin’s midterm partisan primary.

After an 11 a.m. check in with poll workers, the Madison City Clerk’s Office reported around 13 percent of registered voters had cast a ballot.

In Milwaukee, the city Election Commission had predicted turnout would range from 25 to 30 percent, but as of Tuesday morning, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Neil Albrecht said the flow of voters was slightly down from what was expected. He said turnout between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. are generally considered a barometer for what the rest of the day may hold.

“We’re seeing a pretty steady flow of voters, maybe a little slower at the start of the day than what we had anticipated, which could be a bit of an indicator,” said Albrecht.

The Brown County Clerk’s Office estimated that turnout would land somewhere between 17 and 20 percent by the end of the day.

In the city of Eau Claire, voter turnout appeared to be down during an 11 a.m. check-in. City Clerk Carrie Riepl said they only saw around 8 percent of voters turn out at that time.

But during the noon-hour the parking lot at the Bethesda Lutheran Church polling location in Eau Claire saw a steady stream of residents swing through to cast ballots. Among them was Sarah French, who said she was encouraged by the number of neighbors she was seeing at the polls.

“I’m happy to see so many cars in the parking lot,” said French. “We don’t usually have such a high turnout at this hour of the day. So, to pull in and see so many cars here is really exciting.“

French said she thinks voters are more motivated in this midterm primary than they were in 2014.

The days’ latest turnout numbers come from the city of Wausau — the clerk’s office there said the flow of voters has increased significantly this afternoon. So far, it’s estimated that 18 percent of eligible voters have cast ballots there.

“There’s a lot of candidates on the ballot and a lot of them are really enthusiastic and excited and I think that excites voters and so I’m hoping that will garner some good turnout,” said French.The polls are open until 8 p.m.