Wisconsin primary election recap: Referendums fail; Wied, Cooke win House primaries
Wisconsin voters went to the polls Tuesday for the partisan primary election, which featured races for Congress, state Legislature, county-level offices and two statewide referendum questions.
Primary winners advance to the Nov. 5 election, which also includes the presidential race.
The Journal Sentinel provided updates throughout the day and night. Here's a review of our primary election day coverage:
More: Bice: Donald Trump, election deniers and Pocan lead Tuesday's election winners and losers
More: Here are the takeaways from Tuesday's legislative primary elections in Wisconsin
2024 Wisconsin primary results
More: Wisconsin statewide primary election results
More: Milwaukee area primary election results
Andrew Hysell, who drew criticism from opponents, wins primary in Madison area
Andrew Hysell won the 48th Assembly District in the Sun Prairie area, taking about 32% of the vote.
The second-place primary finisher was Bill Connors, with about 26% of the vote. Five Democrats competed in the race, which was among the most crowded primaries of the election.
Hysell's challengers had issued a joint statement sharing their concerns about Hysell's previous activities after receiving a flood of messages from voters in the district.
Hysell came under fire for an audit that found his company had bilked millions of dollars in welfare funds to boost executive salaries and pay for cross-country trips while operating in Kansas.
— Hope Karnopp
After winning special election, Dora Drake wins full Senate term
State Rep. Dora Drake, who won special elections in July to fill the vacancy of former state Sen. Lena Taylor's 4th Senate District seat, cleared the way to earn a full term in the state Legislature's upper chamber. She took about 62% of the vote Tuesday night.
While the July elections were to fill a term ending in 2024, the August and November elections are for a full, four-year term in the Senate beginning in 2025. Because no Republicans are in the race, Drake's victory Tuesday all but guarantees her spot in the Senate.
State Rep. LaKeshia Myers challenged Drake in both the special election and the August contest. Myers' margins were slightly higher this time around: she took about 38% of the vote, compared to 34% in the July 2 special election primary. After that loss, Myers indicated she would focus her campaign on the August primary.
— Hope Karnopp
Rebecca Cooke wins heated Democratic primary to take on Rep. Derrick Van Orden
Eau Claire non-profit owner Rebecca Cooke won the heated three-way Democratic primary for a western Wisconsin battleground House seat Tuesday night, setting up a November fight with freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd Congressional District.
— Lawrence Andrea
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos defeats primary challenger
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, one of the state's top Republicans, won his primary election in the 33rd Assembly District.
Vos will still face a Democrat on the Nov. 5 ballot: Alan Kupsik. But the redrawn district still leans Republican.
— Hope Karnopp
Trump-backed Tony Wied wins GOP primary in congressional seat vacated by Mike Gallagher
Former gas station owner Tony Wied won the 8th Congressional District Republican primary to replace retired U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher following a campaign that leaned almost exclusively on former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Wied, whom Trump endorsed before he formally launched his campaign in April, edged former Appleton state Sen. Roger Roth and handily defeated De Pere state Sen. Andre Jacque in both the special primary election and regularly scheduled primary election. Roth and Jacque called Wied to concede the race late Tuesday.
— Lawrence Andrea
Extremely close race in western Wisconsin Assembly district
It's an extremely tight Republican primary in the 28th Assembly District, which includes communities in western Wisconsin like New Richmond and the villages of Hammond, Baldwin and Woodville.
Former television anchorman Rob Kreibich has 2,888 votes, just 55 votes ahead of University of Wisconsin-River Falls student Brady Penfield, who sits at 2,843 votes with about 99% of the vote reported.
— Hope Karnopp
West Allis-area seat shaping up to be a close race
About 99% of the vote has been counted in the 14th Assembly District, where former West Allis alder Angelito Tenorio has 214 votes more than mental health social worker Nathan Kieso.
Former College Democrats vice chair Brady Coulthard is also running in the Democratic primary, and is 275 votes behind Kieso.
— Hope Karnopp
City of Milwaukee arrives with absentee ballot jump drives before 10 p.m.
Jump drives containing the results of the City of Milwaukee's absentee ballots arrived at the Milwaukee County Election Commission just before 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The city had a total of 24,545 absentee ballots cast in this election, according to the city Election Commission.
Like other municipalities around the county and state, the city counts its absentee ballots in a single location known as "central count."
— Alison Dirr
Democrats celebrate referendum victory
Gov. Tony Evers praised the referendum’s “no” vote as result of his administration’s effort to stabilize Wisconsin’s economy during the pandemic, saying “the proof of our hard work is in the pudding.”
“This was a referendum on our administration’s work and the future for Wisconsin we’ve been working hard to build together, and the answer is reflected in the people’s vote tonight,” Evers said.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler in a statement said voters “defeated an attempt by MAGA politicians to bend our Constitution.”
“Wisconsin Democrats are proud to have organized to defeat these risky and misleading constitutional amendments—marking only the second time since 1996 that a constitutional amendment has been defeated at the ballot box,” Wikler said. “Republican politicians in Madison pushed these amendments because they recognized their grip on power was waning with new, fair maps, and they were desperate to cement their extreme agenda into Wisconsin’s Constitution.”
— Rachel Hale
Voters shoot down both referendums in a win for Democrats
Wisconsin voters said "no" to two referendums that asked to give the state Legislature more power over distributing federal funding, which could have upended how billions of dollars are spent in the state. The result is a win for Democrats, who intensely pushed for a "no" vote in statewide advertisements and press conferences.
With over 50% of the vote reported by Tuesday night, 58% of voters voted down both questions.
Because a majority of voters selected "no," the Legislature will not be prohibited from delegating its power to appropriate money and the governor will not be required to earn legislative approval in the form of a joint resolution before expending federal funds appropriated to the state.
The outcome of the two referendums bucked the trend in Wisconsin — voters typically ratify them. Out of the 200 times lawmakers have proposed changes to the state Constitution since 1854, voters have only rejected the changes about 50 times, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.
— Rachel Hale
State Rep. Ratcliff emerges victorious from Dane County primary
State Rep. Melissa Ratcliff, D-Cottage Grove, won a hard-fought Democratic primary race in the state's 16th Senate District with about 52% of the vote, edging out her fellow state Reps. Jimmy Anderson, D-Fitchburg, and Samba Baldeh, D-Madison.
The open seat resulted from former Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard's decision to run for Dane County executive.
— Jessie Opoien
Republican Sen. Dan Feyen deflects challenge from election denier Timothy Ramthun
Sen. Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac fended off a challenge from former Assembly representative Tim Ramthun to win the 20th Senate District's Republican primary, with about 64% of the vote.
Ramthun served in the Assembly from 2019 to 2023 and competed in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. After running a campaign rooted in an illegal and impossible push to revoke Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes for President Joe Biden, he finished third in the primary with 6% of the vote.
— Jessie Opoien
Ryan Clancy wins closely watched primary in downtown Milwaukee, Bay View
One of the most closely watched primaries was the 19th Assembly District in downtown Milwaukee: Incumbent state Rep. Ryan Clancy held off Democratic challenger Jarrod Anderson, who was endorsed by top Milwaukee Democrats. Clancy had about 57% of the vote, with about 98% reported.
Clancy has declared victory, but he said Anderson had yet to concede. All votes had been counted but absentee ballots.
The race pulled in more than $130,000 in donations, an unusually high amount. Clancy, a Democratic socialist, has been outspoken in his support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war and supported the "unsinstructed" movement in April.
— Hope Karnopp and Daniel Bice
Incumbent David Cullen beats out Ted Chisholm in Milwaukee County treasurer's race
With almost 93% of the votes in, incumbent treasurer David Cullen won two-to-one against Ted Chisholm, the 26-year-old son of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. Cullen has served as treasurer since 2014.
In a statement on Facebook, Chisholm conceded before all the absentee ballots were counted.
— Vanessa Swales
'No' is leading two referendum questions with 44% of the vote in
As of 9 p.m., a “no” vote was leading two referendum questions that asked to give the state Legislature more power over distributing federal funding. On both questions, 58% percent of voters selected “no." The first referendum would prohibit the Legislature from delegating appropriations, while the second would require legislative approval for federal funds.
— Rachel Hale
State Rep. Bob Donovan fends off Republican primary challenger
In Milwaukee's southwest suburbs, former Milwaukee alder and current state Rep. Bob Donovan fended off MMA instructor Martin Gomez in the 61st Assembly District Republican primary.
Donovan took about 93% of the vote compared to Gomez's 7%, with about 92% of the vote reported.
Donovan will face Democratic candidate LuAnn Bird in November in what could be a competitive election in a slightly redrawn district.
— Hope Karnopp
Eric Hovde wins Republican U.S. Senate primary
Republican banking and real estate mogul Eric Hovde emerged victorious from Wisconsin's GOP U.S. Senate primary with nearly 90% of the vote. He fended off challenges within his party from Rejani Raveendran of Stevens Point and Charles Barman of Sharon.
"Since I started this campaign, my focus has been to defeat do-nothing Tammy Baldwin and restore the American Dream for people in Wisconsin and across the country," Hovde said in a statement, referencing the Democratic senator seeking a third term.
Hovde argued Baldwin's time in Washington has led to "time for a change."
"I will always put the people of Wisconsin first by working tirelessly to lower costs, secure the southern border, and fix our broken healthcare system," Hovde said.
— Jessie Opoien
State Rep. Mike Bare wins one of first contested races called
Results for contested primaries on the ballot are slowly coming in, but state Rep. Mike Bare was one of the first winners declared.
In the 80th Assembly District primary, he faced challenger Nasra Wehelie and took over 80% of the vote with 77% of precincts reported. Bare will face Republican Robert Relph in November.
— Hope Karnopp
Kamala Harris plans DNC week rally in Milwaukee at site of Republican National Convention
Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to hold a rally at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Tuesday, the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, according to sources with knowledge of the plans.
The stop would be Harris' third visit to Wisconsin since she became the Democratic nominee for president late last month. She held the first rally of her presidential campaign just outside Milwaukee and last week stopped in Eau Claire with her newly selected running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
— Lawrence Andrea
Wisconsin primary polls have closed
Voting concluded at 8 p.m. As long as you were in line at your polling place by 8 p.m., you'll be allowed to vote.
One hour left to vote in Wisconsin
There's about one hour left to vote in Wisconsin: Polls are open statewide until 8 p.m. As long as you're in line at your polling place by 8 p.m., you'll be allowed to vote.
Results will slowly start filtering in after 8 p.m. Some communities may report their results fairly quickly, while others may take a couple of hours to report their numbers.
— Hope Karnopp
Menomonee Falls voters spend the afternoon practicing their civic duty and figuring out referendum questions
When asked if he found the referendum questions at the end of his ballot clear, Marcel Clarke, 50, said, “Absolutely not.”
This sentiment has been a common theme among southeastern Wisconsin voters when asked if they understood what the two referendum questions were asking.
Clarke said he did a ton of research before voting, and he showed up to the Menomonee Falls Public Library to give some attention to the “down” ballots.
Clarke said he feels as though citizens don’t pay enough attention to these less prominent elections, so he came to do his civic duty.
Chrystal Gillon-Mabry, 72, said she went online to get the information she needed to understand the referendum questions.
Gillon-Mabry said preserving democracy was what brought her to vote.
“We can figure out conservatives and liberals later,” said Gillon-Mabry. “If we don’t have a democracy, we won’t even have to worry about those issues.”
Michael Zareczny, 65, said he was informed about his decision on voting against or in favor of the referendum questions because he had read an explanation in the newspaper.
Zareczny’s findings led him to vote against the referendum, but he said he initially came to the polls because he’s never missed voting in an election since he was 18 years old.
He took issue with the fact that a resident can only vote for one party in primary elections.
“I don’t know who put that law in place, but I think it’s unjustified and unconstitutional,” Zareczny said. “That’s really taking your freedom of choice away from you.”
Another qualm he expressed was about how third-party voices aren’t made as prominent as the Democratic and Republican voices.
Zareczny said campaigns are all about money, and independent candidates who may be a better choice than either prevailing parties don’t have the financial backing to make their voices and platforms heard.
“You don’t have the money, you can’t have a voice,” Zareczny said. “That’s terrible. That should never be.”
— Angelika Ytuarte
About 17,000 absentee ballots counted in Milwaukee as of mid-afternoon
About 17,000 absentee ballots had been counted by early afternoon Tuesday, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez told the Journal Sentinel.
The city had received about 23,900 ballots as of 3:45 p.m., though ballots were still coming in. Voters have been steadily using the absentee ballot drop boxes that had been reinstated ahead of the election, she said.
“I’m feeling pretty confident we’ll be done before midnight,” she said.
Gutiérrez said there had been no major issues at the polling places, including with observers. There had been one ballot challenge, though she didn't immediately have additional details.
“I think we're pretty lucky that everybody — observers, workers — so far have understood the process and their roles and are respecting it, and so discourse has been great. Let's hope that that continues in November,” she said.
Hilario Deleon was among the observers. The Milwaukee County GOP chairman said he hadn’t seen any issues in Tuesday’s election.
— Alison Dirr
Referendum questions unclear to voters in New Berlin, following trend echoed by other southeastern Wisconsin voters
Voters in New Berlin got their chance to vote “yes” or “no” on the ballot referendums, but the options were confusing to most voters who talked to a Journal Sentinel reporter.
Although he thought the referendum questions were unclear, Scott Therrian, 42, still came out to the polls to make his voice heard.
“There needs to be a change, and you have to vote in order for things to change,” said Therrian. “Everyone, happy voting."
One outlier of the confusion the questions are bringing is Julie Remituz, 68. Remituz said she thought the referendum questions were clear without any prior research into the questions before voting.
The referendum is exactly what made Remituz come to the polls, she said.
James Farnsworth, 58, said he listened to radio programs and members of Congress' thoughts on the referendums before he came to the polls to vote “yes” on the questions.
“I’m surprised (the election) is running pretty smoothly,” Farnsworth said. “I’m excited for the big one in November.”
Savannah Schleicher, 24, was another voter who found clarity in the referendum questions only after looking into the verbiage.
Schleicher said she came to the polls to vote in favor of candidates who support abortion and other women’s reproductive rights.
“It’s important to vote. Everyone should vote,” Schleicher said. “(Primaries) are the elections people tend to miss.”
Cameron Holcomb, 28, also had to examine the meaning behind the referendum questions that brought him to the polls before he voted “no” to them.
Andrew Thompson, 38, simply said, “Oh, they’re definitely unclear,” when asked about the clarity of the referendum questions on the ballot.
After some research into the questions, he also ended up voting “no.”
— Angelika Ytuarte
'Very slow' voter turnout at south-side polling place
Election workers sat in an empty classroom in Milwaukee's Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood, south of Walker's Point. By 2 p.m., only 44 voters had cast their votes at the polling place.
By comparison, one Shorewood polling place received 300 in-person voters by 11:30 a.m.
Rafael Garcia, the supervisor at the Adams-Field Middle School polling place, described the pace as "very slow" and attributed it to a lack of accessible information. He said candidates should provide "more marketing" to the constituents.
Megan Keller, an election worker and a college coach for under-resourced students, attributed the lack of turnout to the area's lack of accessible and affordable daycare.
She said it's hard for people — parents especially — to take the time to vote on a weekday.
"If you're taking the time to vote, you're damned," Keller said.
Michael Morales, who was checking people in at the door, remained optimistic. He said he's preparing for a rush later that night when folks get off work.
"We're a really strong team here," he said.
— Zoe Jaeger
JD Vance to campaign at Milwaukee police union Friday
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance will return to Wisconsin Friday to deliver remarks at the Milwaukee Police Association.
The trip will be Vance's second to the battleground state this month. The Ohio senator stopped in Eau Claire last week to speak to reporters at an equipment manufacturer as Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, held a rally nearby at the same time.
— Lawrence Andrea
Voters in West Allis identify different ballot items as reason for voting
Voters have slowly and steadily trickled into the West Allis City Hall and Public Library to vote.
Heather Hintz said she wanted to vote specifically on the referendum questions and the 14th Assembly District Democratic primary. Angelito Tenorio, Brady Coulthard and Nathan Kieso are competing in the race. None of the candidates are incumbents.
“I think they’re all viable candidates. However, I think women’s reproductive rights are foremost for me, especially in this state, so that weighed heavily into my decisions,” she said.
Hintz said that would continue to be a salient issue for her in the November election.
Christopher Dickinson, 42, said the U.S. Senate race was important to him.
“I like Tammy Baldwin so I wanted to make sure she stays in the mix,” he said.
Baldwin is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for Senate, but she will face the winner of a three-way Republican primary in November.
Mike McMahon said he always voted but the referendum questions were an important part of today’s election.
“The governor is not a king, so I think the money should be legislated through the Legislature,” he said.
— Kathryn Muchnick
Douglas County ballot error could affect 700 voters
Ballots printed for the Town of Summit, in Douglas County, contained the wrong Assembly district, County Clerk Kaci Jo Lundgren said in a news release Tuesday afternoon, leaving no time to print new ballots for residents voting in Tuesday's primary.
The town has about 700 registered voters.
The ballots contain the state's 73rd Assembly District but should instead contain the 74th as the result of changes under the state's new legislative maps. The 73rd District has a contested Democratic primary, and the 74th has a contested Republican primary.
— Jessie Opoien
Waukesha voters steadily enter the city hall to vote, be turned away or find out where they need to go
A man who wasn't able to provide a valid form of ID at the Waukesha City Hall voter registration table falsely stated, “If an illegal immigrant were to come in here, they’d just be able to walk right in there and vote.”
His statement, though, highlighted concerns some Wisconsin residents have about potential voter fraud, as well as some residents' struggle to provide forms of ID deemed acceptable proof of residency to vote.
Some voters came to the city hall to vote because they didn’t know their polling location. City employees were able to tell them the polling location they need to go to, but residents can also find out their polling location by filling our their address on the Find My Polling Place page on myvote.wi.gov.
Those who did vote were a mixed bag of people who understood and didn’t understand the referendum questions.
Ann Wanner, 81, found the two questions unclear, but still felt compelled to come to the polls to vote on them.
Joe Espinosa, 70, also found the referendum questions unclear and voted “no” on the questions.
Andrew Green, 52, and his wife, Katie, 44, both voted “yes” on the referendums after they looked more into what the questions meant.— Angelika Ytuarte
Eric Hovde attacks Tammy Baldwin on fentanyl crisis, questions use of ballot drop boxes
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Eric Hovde on Tuesday accused Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of failing to address the fentanyl crisis in Wisconsin and argued she only spends time in the state during campaign season.
"She seems to only come back into the state when it's time for election, and does staged events and doesn't want to talk about her record," Hovde said outside of the Shorewood Hills Village Hall shortly after casting his vote in the primary.
— Laura Schulte and Jessie Opoien
Turnout 'steady' at Shorewood polling location
Turnout has been "steady" at the Shorewood Village Center, said Janet Kreilein, the elections chief there.
"Steady, but not really any lines of any significance," Kreilein said late Tuesday morning. "There were 1,300 absentee ballots submitted, so that may have something to do with it."
She said nearly 300 people had cast ballots in person by 11:30 a.m. at the location, which is the polling place for wards 1 through 4 in the village.
— Mary Spicuzza
Glendale residents come out to vote
In Glendale, polls were relatively quiet following the July special election primary, when police had to be called for unruly spectators.
“We weren’t here for that. Thank goodness the mayor acted promptly,” said MaryJo Wellenstein.
MaryJo voted with her husband, Larry. The couple has lived in Glendale since 1983.
“We need our right to vote. It’s a democracy,” MaryJo said.
But the couple did have one minor concern going into the election: referendums.
“With referendums, we think there should be legislation on how they’re worded,” Larry said.
Another Glendale resident said the referendums drew him to the polls.
“There’s two referendum questions. For the most part, we came for that,” said Jim Beckmann, who was there with his wife.
Beckmann said he had to read through the questions a bit, but it wasn’t confusing for him because he did prior research and overall thinks the oversight is a good thing.
Laura Wagner, a Glendale resident for 26 years, said she thinks the referendum questions were constructed in a confusing manner on purpose.
“They are very confusing on purpose I think so they can get their money,” Wagner said. “But voting is very important and I think everyone should vote.”
— Jolan Kruse
Voters in District 19 motivated by referendum question, assembly primary
Voting at the east-side Maryland Avenue Montessori School, 2418 N. Maryland Ave., John Bonlender said the referendum questions drew him to the polls.
“They are confusing, but there’s a good ad campaign that went on that let people just how confusing and how bad they were,” he said.
Other voters said they hadn’t seen much messaging around the referendum questions but still said they were confusing.
“It’s just intentionally confusing language,” said Adam Stoner, who was at the polls with his family Tuesday morning. “I think it’s intended for you to breeze past it or … to obfuscate the truth.”
Jeff Loss, 72, said the referendum was an important issue for him in this election.
“Unless you understood exactly what the issue is, I don’t think most people would know what yes or no meant,” he said.
Eugene Strei, 23, said he received lots of mail about the 19th Assembly District Democratic primary but said he decided to do his own research on the election.
“If I don’t vote, I feel like I can’t complain. It’s the job that was given to us,” Strei said.
The race has pulled in more than $130,000 in donations and has been contentious, despite few policy differences between the candidates.
Ryan Clancy, the district’s incumbent, has become outspoken in his support for progressive causes and Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war. Prominent Milwaukee Democrats, including Mayor Cavalier Johnson, have backed challenger Jarrod Anderson, citing differences in the candidates’ approach to legislating.
Strei said the politicians’ stances on the war in Gaza were one of the deciding factors in how he voted. Others pointed to different qualities of the candidates.
“I saw the mayor endorsed Jarrod Anderson, so I voted for him,” Gilbert Church said.
“My understanding is that Clancy is not well-liked, but he’s a candidate that I support,” Stoner said. “I think he backs up what he believes in and he’s in a long line of socialist leaders that I think have regular people at the heart of the campaign.”
— Kathryn Muchnick
Democratic messaging about referendums reached Greendale voters
Voters in Greendale said they received texts and postcards about referendum questions. Mostly, they came from the Democratic Party advising them to vote “no,” they said.
William Kelly, 65, said he received cards in the mail urging him to vote “no” and warning that the referendums intentionally use confusing language.
“They weren’t confusing at all,” Kelly said after voting.
Patti Abbott, 63, said she received text messages also advising she vote “no.” But Abbott agreed — the questions are confusing.
Abbott said referendum questions, regardless of the party that introduced them, are written “to confuse the voters, so you have to do some research beforehand.”
Connie Hughes agreed. She said she had seen a few unmemorable ads advising they vote “no.”
“Referendum questions are confusing and tricky. They’re a trick,” Hughes said.
— Zoe Jaeger
Menomonee Falls residents come out to vote
Dean and Judy Wiesner, Menomonee Falls residents for three years, showed up at the polls Tuesday morning.
“It’s our civil duty,” Dean said.
The couple said they did research ahead of time so there was no confusion on the statewide referendum questions.
“We feel we need to protect our country,” Judy said.
Another Menomonee Falls voter said coming to the polls holds importance to him.
“The future of the country is at stake,” Bill Heise said. “There’s some bad stuff being proposed.”
— Jolan Kruse
Family brought out to the polls by two referendum questions
Three members of the Nastoff family made their way out of the Brookfield Central High School gymnasium after they came out to vote on two referendum questions included on the primary election ballots.
Allison Nastoff, 34, voted “no” on the referendum questions. She didn’t find the referendum questions clear but voted for the option the Democratic Party was advocating for.
“The referendums brought me out, because I heard it’s kind of a power grab by the Legislature,” Allison said. “I really wanted to vote to stand up to that.”
Jane Nastoff, 68, also found the referendum questions unclear when she first read about them, but after a reread, they made more sense to her.
“I understood after some explanation, but not on the first read by any means,” said Jane.
Jane’s husband, Stephen Nastoff, 70, also investigated the referendum questions before voting Tuesday. Once he understood what they were asking, he was able to more make a more concrete choice in the voting booth.
— Angelika Ytuarte
What's on my ballot in Wisconsin today?
The race for U.S. Senate is the only race that will appear on all ballots in Wisconsin, outside of the two statewide referendum questions. The rest of the races for state Legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and county offices depend on where you live.
The boundaries of some state legislative districts changed after redistricting earlier this year, meaning you might see new names on your ballot. Some lawmakers retired or moved into new districts. All state Assembly seats and half of state Senate seats are up for election this year.
Here's a list of the candidates running for state Legislature in the Milwaukee area. The district lines within the City of Milwaukee didn't change much, but there were more changes in the suburbs.
There are also congressional races on the ballot, including the Senate race, in which Madison businessman Eric Hovde and two other Republicans are challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The other races for Congress depend on which of the eight U.S. House districts you live in, which did not change during redistricting.
In most counties, there are four county elected offices on the ballot, too — district attorney, clerk, treasurer and register of deeds.
You can preview your ballot at myvote.wi.gov.
— Hope Karnopp
What do the August referendum questions mean in Wisconsin?
There are two referendum questions on the Aug. 13 ballot that all voters will see. The questions are written as follows:
QUESTION 1: “Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35 (1) of article IV of the constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?”
QUESTION 2: “Allocation of federal moneys. Shall section 35 (2) of article IV of the constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?”
The questions stem from debates between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-led state Legislature over distributing federal pandemic relief funds. If the referendums pass, they would require the governor to get legislative approval to spend federal money.
Republicans and conservative groups support voting "yes" on the two questions because they see the amendments as an important check on the governor's power. Democrats and liberal groups support voting "no" because they believe the Legislature would slow down how the state government responds to emergencies.
— Hope Karnopp
Remember to select a party at the top of the ballot
The August election is a partisan primary, and voters will see bubbles at the top of their ballot to vote in either the Democratic, Republican, Constitution, Libertarian or Wisconsin Green parties.
"It's very important to remember that you can only vote for candidates of one party in this election," said Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe.
If you choose a party at the top of the ballot and accidentally vote in more than one party's primary, only the votes within the party you chose will count. If you accidentally vote for candidates in more than one party without making a party selection at the top, then no votes will be counted for those races, Wolfe explained.
— Hope Karnopp
Turnout percentage expected to be in mid-teens, upper 20s
Wolfe said turnout for the August election typically lands in the mid-teens to upper-20s percentage range. In 2022, turnout in the August partisan primary was around 27%, compared to just 9% in 2008.
— Hope Karnopp
Two Democrats are running for Milwaukee County treasurer
Elections to fill the partisan office of Milwaukee County treasurer have often been quiet, sometimes with no competition on the ballot. But that's not the case this year.
Longtime Treasurer David Cullen, 63, is fending off a political newcomer with a well-known name: Ted Chisholm, 26, son of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. With no Republicans running, Tuesday's primary will determine who holds the office next.
— Hope Karnopp
Northeastern Wisconsin voters will see some names twice on ballot
If you vote in the 8th Congressional District, which includes Green Bay, your ballot will look a bit unusual: The names of candidates for U.S. House will appear twice.
That's because a special election was called for Aug. 13 to complete the remainder of U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher's term through Jan. 3, 2025, the same time as the regular election for a full term from 2025 to 2027.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted to provide elections clerks with an informational sheet to accompany each ballot that explains to voters why the 8th District seat is on the ballot twice and lets voters know they can vote in both contests.
— Hope Karnopp
Where do I vote in Wisconsin today?
Polls are open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. across Wisconsin. As long as you're in line by 8 p.m., you'll be allowed to vote.
You can find your polling place by typing in your address at myvote.wi.gov.
— Hope Karnopp
What do I need to bring to vote in Wisconsin? How do I register to vote?
To vote in Wisconsin, you need to bring a current photo ID that has your name on it. The Wisconsin Elections Commission's website has a list of accepted forms of identification.
You also can register to vote at your polling place, or re-register if you've changed addresses since the last time you voted or if you haven't voted in the last four years. In that case, you'll need to bring a document that shows proof of residence.
A driver's license or ID card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles counts as proof as residence, if it shows your current address. Or, you can bring documents like a lease, utility bill or bank statement that has your new address.
— Hope Karnopp
Wisconsin DMVs staying open late to provide photo IDs
If you need a photo ID to vote in the election today, it's not too late. The DMV is extending their hours at customer service centers until 6 p.m.
The DMV offers identification cards for voting purposes — which are different than driver's licenses — free of charge. You can find the closest DMV at this link. The DMV recommends bringing as many documents as possible, like a birth certificate, proof of identity and Wisconsin residency. More information is available here.
— Hope Karnopp
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin primary election recap: referendums fail; Wied, Cooke win
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