Early In-Person Voting Soars in Wisconsin as Supreme Court Election Approaches

Wisconsin’s early voting for the April 1 election shows an 80% increase compared to two years ago, with 86,421 in-person absentee votes counted. The election features a record $76 million state Supreme Court race. As of now, 193,143 early absentee votes have been cast, surpassing prior elections, with notable trends emerging in various counties.

Wisconsin is experiencing an impressive surge in early voting as residents gear up for the upcoming April 1 election, which highlights the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history, projected at $76 million according to WisPolitics. Chief Political Reporter Charles Benson has been observing these developments closely since the commencement of early voting this week.

Though early voting statistics are not indicative of overall turnout, they reflect considerable interest in this consequential election that has drawn significant financial backing from billionaire donors across the political divide. As of Friday, 86,421 residents had participated in in-person absentee voting at local clerks’ offices, marking an 80% increase compared to two years prior for a Spring Election.

The total number of early absentee votes has reached 193,143, significantly surpassing the 138,800 votes from another notable state Supreme Court race in April 2023, where liberal candidate Judge Janet Protasiewicz achieved victory over former Justice Dan Kelly by an 11-point margin. Additionally, 455,000 absentee ballot applications have been submitted, exceeding the 453,000 absentee ballots cast in the 2023 election, which had a total turnout of 1.8 million votes.

It is critical to acknowledge that absentee ballots will not be counted until Election Day. In terms of voting trends, Dane County, which is a Democratic stronghold, has witnessed the highest number of early absentee votes. In contrast, Republican-leaning Waukesha County has reported the highest rate of in-person voting across the state thus far.

With early voting actively underway, the focus is keenly fixed on Wisconsin as voters prepare to express their preferences in this essential election.

In summary, Wisconsin’s early voting trends signal heightened engagement as the April 1 election approaches, especially in light of a historically expensive state Supreme Court race. The significant increase in in-person absentee voting and absentee ballot applications indicates a dynamic electoral atmosphere, with interests and participation levels surging across the state, particularly among Democratic and Republican strongholds.

Original Source: www.tmj4.com