Voter turnout in the recall elections is expected to be huge … up to 60 or 65 percent, according to the state’s elections agency.
Reid Magney of the Government Accountability Board says it’s difficult to gauge voter turnout for Tuesday’s historic gubernatorial election, because it’s the first statewide recall election in Wisconsin history. “We are expecting a very high interest in this election, much more than a typical gubernatorial election, but not quite as much as a presidential election.
The GAB typically looks at history for guidance in predicting turnout, but this is uncharted territory. Magney says they are basing their prediction on the numbers from past gubernatorial and presidential elections. “The election in 2010 between Governor Walker and Mayor Barrett … the turnout was just under 50 percent there. We are expecting that there would be higher interest than that, but not quite as much as the presidential election in 2008 when the turnout was 69.2 percent.
The agency predicts that between 2.6 million and 2.8 million people could vote in the recall contests for governor and lieutenant governor. Four state senators are also fighting for their jobs.
About 130,391 absentee ballots had been requested statewide as of noon Tuesday. The early in-person voting period ends on Friday at 5pm. If you want to vote absentee by mail, the clerk has to have that request by 5pm Thursday, May 31.
The GAB says the highest voter turnout in a November gubernatorial election in the last 50 years was 52.4 percent in 1962.
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