It is the first day Wisconsinites can vote in person for presidential, senatorial and state government candidates, and Madison voters are already setting records.
As of 4:26 p.m. Monday, 1,052 people had voted at the Madison City Clerk’s office, a number higher than the first day of the 2008 presidential election and this summer’s recall. This turnout is also approaching the high of 1,300 voters from the entire three-week early voting period in the 2008 election.
“In 2008, we were averaging about 1,000 a day towards the end and we capped out at 1,300 for one day,” Municipal Clerk Elena Berg said. “So the fact that this is the first day, [City Clerk Mary Witzel-Behl] is thinking that it’s going to be more,” adding there were people already camping out Sunday to be the first in line to vote, including members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College Democrats.
Berg also said that while they have been busy, the voter traffic has been manageable.
“We have lots of election officials volunteering and helping us in our office, which is really keeping things moving swiftly and keeping the weight down,” Berg said.
In 2008, 21 percent of the total votes were early absentee votes. Government Accountability Board spokesperson Reid Magney said election officials are not expecting an increase in early absentee votes this election cycle, but instead anticipate a similar percentage because voters have one less week to vote early in person this time around.
Berg recommended voters avoid the lunch hour because it is the busiest part of the day and to bring proof of residence if they are not already registered to vote.
Visit www.cityofmadison.com/clerk for more information about early voting.
