Voters will head to the polls Aug. 11 to cast their ballots in a primary election that will set the stage for November’s general election, which includes the race for Wisconsin’s next governor.
Four Democratic candidates will compete to succeed Gov. Tony Evers as the party’s nominee. They are former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Madison state Rep. Francesca Hong and Madison state Sen. Kelda Roys.
“I, based on social media and the news, honestly believe the only race that may drive voter turnout up will be the Democratic Party race for governor,” Shawano County Clerk Raymond Rigsby said. “In 2022, the last race for governor, there was a statewide turnout of only 22% with Shawano County having a 40% turnout.”
Oconto County Clerk Kim Pytleski cited similar numbers.
“Voter turnout for the August 2022 primary was 30%, and turnout in 2018 was 29%. Those were both Gubernatorial race years,” she said. “In comparison, turnout for the presidential primaries were 20% in 2020 and 32% in 2024. Based on those statistics and the number of ballot candidates, I anticipate a similar turnout to August 2022 — 30% countywide — give or take.”
The size of the Democratic gubernatorial field, which held at seven major candidates for months, shifted rapidly in July that included both the exit of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez from the race after she revealed problems with her campaign finance reports and the reentry of Crowley, who secured an endorsement from Evers.
Then, on July 30, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the race. He cited to a lack of a viable path to the nomination amid surging poll numbers for Hong, coupled with an unfolding media investigation into past misconduct allegations.
Barnes, Rodriguez and Missy Hughes are still on the ballot, as they withdrew too late to have their names removed.
On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Tiffany is the presumptive nominee, although he faces token opposition from Andy Manske.
The lieutenant governor’s race features Republicans David Varnam and Will Martin.
Republican secretary of state candidates are Jay Schroeder, Brayden Myer, Nate Pollnow and Cindy Werner.
Democrats competing to be the state treasurer nominee are Yee Leng Xiong and Dylan Helmenstine.
For Congress, it’s Mark Scheffler, Rick Crosson and Katrina deVille competing on the Democratic side.
“We had a countywide turnout of 36% in the spring, and I planned for a county average 50% turnout for the partisan primary,” Rigsby said. “Some municipal clerks asked for a higher percentage of ballots. I will note that Shawano County has certain municipalities that turnout is higher than the average. Couple to note are towns of Bartleme, Green Valley, Hutchins and Seneca and villages of Eland and Cecil.”
Several candidates are unopposed for their party’s nomination, including those at the county level and state legislative races.
Pytleski reminded voters to have their voting plan made in advance of entering the polling place; if they need additional information, they can review the notices and sample ballots available at each polling location.
Questions or concerns can be directed to the chief election inspector at each polling location or by calling the county clerk’s office at 920-834-6800 on election day.
“Voters who have not mailed back their absentee ballots to the clerk’s office as of (Aug. 7) should make arrangements to deliver their ballots to the clerk or polling location by 8 p.m. on election day,” Pytleski said. “Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. to be counted.”
Wisconsin has an open primary system, so residents don’t need to be registered with a political party to vote a certain way. However, they can only vote within one party. If you’re choosing a Republican congressional candidate, for example, you can’t select a Democrat anywhere else on your ballot.
All voting places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
