Walker, Beware: Huge Early Voting in Madison (update: Milwaukee, too)

[WI_DEM]

Last edited Thu May 24, 2012, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

It’s mid-afternoon at the city-county building in Madison, Wisconsin, and a steady stream of six or seven residents keeps filing in to vote early in the race between Scott Walker and Tom Barrett.

“We’ve had over 8,000 votes so far in the first three days,” says Maribeth Witzel, the city clerk of Madison. By comparison, for the 2010 governor’s race between Walker and Barrett, she says her office “issued just over 10,000 total and that was for a month’s time.”

With eight days to go in early voting this time, if this pace keeps up, twice as many Madison voters will have cast their ballots in this election in the two weeks that were available than all those in Madison who cast early ballots last time.

This bodes ill for Walker.

Madison is overwhelmingly Democratic.

In the 2010 election in Madison, Barrett beat Walker by almost a four-to-one margin: 83,939 to 23,798.

If turnout is much higher this time in Madison, as early voting indicates, then Barrett will get a big bounce.

http://progressive.org/huge_early_voting_in_madison_recall.html


update on Milwaukee:

Early voting is in full swing at the Municipal Building in downtown Milwaukee. In fact, vans have been transporting dozens of residents there, so they can cast ballots in the recall election of Republican Gov. Scott Walker. He faces Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the June 5 finale. WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson stopped by the polling site and found a steady stream of voters.


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Two vans pulled up in front of the Municipal Building during the noon hour Wednesday. Each bore a sign reading “Vote Now.” Shay Johnson stepped out of one and walked inside, where she joined the line of voters snaking the hallway.

“It’s important for us to get out here and vote. Every vote counts. We need jobs. We need the training for the jobs. We need our teachers. Why just one teacher trying to train 40 kids? No, that’s not going to work,” Johnson says.

http://www.wuwm.com/news/wuwm_news.php?articleid=10491

[southernyankeebelle]

1. Let's hope they don't find a way to lose the ballots and that woman who was in charge taking

numbers for the last 2 elections isn't going to be there this time.

[WI_DEM]

2. That's Waukesha County--a Walker Stronghold.

[southernyankeebelle]

12. I hope the dems win big. This will give a warning shot across this country.

[freshwest]

21. +1,000 + K & R

[WI_DEM]

3. I'm voting on Saturday

Information on 2012 Recall Elections

VOTING IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE

May 21 - May 25: 8:00 AM - 7 M

SAT May 26: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM

SUN May 27: NOON - 4:00 PM

[KansDem]

4. The "Has recall made Walker a GOP hero?" thought-virus has hit the "news" and Internet

Just enter those words (without quotes) into Google and you'll see this "breaking news" has infested the "series of tubes," with a vast majority appearing in just the last few hours.

I even saw reference to this "breaking news story" this a.m. on the public flat-screen in the building where I work.

Smells like desperation. Orchestrated desperation, for certain, but desperation just the same...

[yellowcanine]

5. They are assuming a Madison vote will count as much as one elsewhere in WI.

I hope my skepticism is misplaced.

[WI_DEM]

6. Well Madison is a democratic stronghold...

it would seem to indicate at least there an intensity among voters in Madison, and hopefully an intensity state wide of Democratic voters. Second, if Barrett can get more votes out of Madison in 2012 than he did in 2010 that would help blunt other pro-Walker parts of the state. I have a feeling voter turnout will be high on both sides.

[yellowcanine]

9. But hopefully no funny business in the Walker strongholds.....

[Indydem]

7. I would recommend that Madison not be your bellwether.

Madison and Milwaukee ARE overwhelmingly democratic, but they do not really reflect the rest of the state of WI. Large swaths of the rural state are red.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/individual/#mapGWI

[WI_DEM]

10. I'm aware of this. Can't somebody post good news around here without somebody

trying to shit on it.

1) I know Wisconsin (notice my DU name?) and I know that Madison and Milwaukee are democratic strongholds.

2) While large parts of the state are RED, you need to get strong turnout and results in both Madison and Milwaukee. So any indication that turnout is going to be strong in those two cities and may actually be above 2010 levels is GOOD NEWS.

3) If Democratic intensity is strong in Madison it may be statewide--which is also good news.

[lobodons]

24. Low turnout in Milwaukee

Even with the 14k "found" votes in Waukesha, Kloppnburg would have won if not for the low turnout in Milwaukee. So this is a good sign so far.

[A Simple Game]

25. "Can't somebody post good news around here without somebody trying to shit on it."

No.

I hope all of this is good news, I have a feeling that how Wisconsin goes, so goes the Nation.

Fingers crossed.

[INdemo]

30. That probably the Freepers that infiltrated us

and have set up shop since about a year ago...........

[HereSince1628]

8. I hope its students avoiding residency challenges back home.

The placement of the special election so close to the end of the semester could really screw with residency requirements in an election where disenfranchisement could make the difference.

[WI_DEM]

11. That would be very good news if it is.

[HereSince1628]

13. Yes, it would be, recall is favored among students,

and campus dems have been pushing members to find a solution to potential voter registration issues.

Casting a vote before heading out of Madtown might be part of that.

[hrmjustin]

14. The important thing is that democrats do not...

...think that this is over and not vote. The debate has not happened yet.

[WI_DEM]

16. I doubt with all the polls out showing Walker ahead that we're going to think this is over

[HereSince1628]

17. It's important for all pro-recall Wisconsin voters

not just democrats. The recall needs all it's supporters regardless of party.

[pansypoo53219]

15. WI WUWM radio station said 11,000 people have already voted early in milw.

said it was very high. HOPE!!!!

[WI_DEM]

18. very positive. Bank our votes early then help GOTV on election day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Woot!

[Bake]

20. We MUST win this one. It's the line in the sand.

If we lose, the Thugs pretty much overrun us all over the country.

This is the line in the sand. Here. No further. This recall election determines everything for the next decade.

And if we lose, my friends, we are well and truly screwn.

Bake

[happerbolic]

28. Absolutionism is a path toward...

....TeaBaggerism.

Once you lead down that road, forever will it dominate your destiny!

[ladym55]

22. And here's something I heard last night ...

If every one of the more than 1 million people who signed the Recall Walker petition casts a ballot and has one friend cast a ballot, Walker will be gone.

Keep up the fight and the hope. We are behind you all across the country.

[TroglodyteScholar]

23. I voted early on Tuesday in Racine...

...and there were only two other people there to vote while I was there. I don't mind, though, because Racine is relatively conservative.

[Thinkingabout]

26. My hope for Wisconsin is not only to beat Walker but overwhelming

You are the example for the rest of the nation, when those elected do wrong we have avenues to get them out of office. I encourage all Democrats to look to Wisconsin and follow their lead and get out and vote for Obama, we do not need a repub in offices this year.

[99Forever]

27. Here's hoping this the first sign..

.. of a landslide.

[Iliyah]

29. What about the early voting in the red areas?

I'm sorry, I just do not TRUST goppers and I don't care how much they say how GAWDLIKE they are.

I tend to believe it is a close race regardless of what the polls say. I have comes to the conclusion that people who do the polls can be paid a hell of alot of money.

[nenagh]

31. A big vote of thanks for anyone helping to drive people who might not have cars etc out to vote...

How good you are....

Maybe as you are driving older voters to the poles... you could be mentioning how important it is to keep people's pensions from being reduced or eliminated... by Walker and his cronies.

Here in Canada... the Conservative Govt several months ago, voted to raise the pension/ retirement age to 67 yrs... starting with people who are now less than 55 yrs old.

Really I just want to say... well done for all those committed people who drive others to vote.. Best of luck.. Walker is just the pits..

[Scuba]

32. +1,000 The volunteer drivers (including at least one DU member) are the best.

[sabrina 1]

33. Thank you, that is good news.

I so admire the people of Wisconsin who have stood up to Walker they way they did. They were the original occupiers and an example to the country.

K&R

[Blue Owl]

34. WALKER CANNOT WIN WITHOUT CHEATING

Just look at everything he's ever "accomplished"...

[RBInMaine]

35. They need to get those who voted in 2008 but not in 2010 to the polls, also Indies, and

less-frequent Dem voters. Finally, they need to target Dems, Indies, and even moderate R's in northern Wisconsin.

[cascadiance]

36. Don't let the Kochsters buy this election for Walker! GOTV and throw this bum out!

Crap like this from Koch's BHI is what the Kochster's empire is spewing out to try and get him elected...

http://www.wisconsinreporter.com/exclusive-analysis-finds-wisconsins-act-10-saving-taxpayers-big

[a kennedy]

37. I can not stand his face.