Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board is expecting a record-breaking 28 percent voter turnout for the September 14 primaries.
Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the GAB, said in a statement that they are expecting such high numbers because of the numerous intra-party challenges for many of the high profile races.
""The governor's office is open for the first time in many years, as are 20 percent of seats in the Legislature,"" Kennedy said. ""There are also several contested congressional primaries in both major parties.""
According to the GAB, though nearly 35 percent of the voting age population voted in the presidential primaries, only 8.9 percent voted in the state primary in September. Turnout was only 14.5 percent in 2006 during the last gubernatorial race, and 22.5 percent in 2002.
As a whole, voter turnout over the last half century has trended downward. According to statistics by the GAB, the last time voter turnout reached the same level as the GAB's predicted 28 percent was in 1964 when it was 27.9 percent. And though most numbers through the early 1980s were in the 20s or upper teens, figures since then have lingered in the low teens, with a few exceptions.
""We encourage voters to make their opinions count at every level of government,"" Kennedy said. ""Tuesday's partisan primary election provides them an opportunity to influence who will be on the ballot in November.""
