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Elections Officials Expect Low Early Voter Turnout For August Primary

Early Voting Kicked Off Statewide This Week

By
Stephen Velasco (CC-BY-SA)

Wisconsin elections officials are expecting a modest turnout for the partisan primary now underway.

Early voting for August’s partisan primary kicked off across the state this week and runs through Aug. 5 for the Aug. 9 election. The primary includes partisan challenges for state Assembly and Senate seats, district attorney offices and seats in the U.S. House and Senate.

Though April’s presidential primary saw a major increase in early voting, state elections officials are expecting a slower pace this time around.

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“We see a fair number of people coming in, but I don’t think we’ll see anything extraordinary attached to this particular election,” said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the city of Milwaukee Election Commission.

Albrecht said he expects about 2,000 to 3,000 people to participate in early voting in Milwaukee. He expects turnout to be much higher for November’s general election.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said there haven’t been many requests coming in for absentee ballots so far in Dane County, which would indicate a slower turnout for in-person early voting as well.

“That tends to be a gauge for us, if there’s a lot of requests for absentees,” he said. “That’s not happening.”

McDonell agreed November’s general election, which will include the presidential race at the top of the ballot, will see much higher early voting turnout.