Wisconsin elections officials are expecting a lower voter turnout for August’s partisan primary compared to 2012, the last presidential election cycle.
The state Elections Commission expects 16 percent of voting-age adults to vote in the partisan primary election Tuesday, Aug. 9. That’s about 700,000 people.
Turnout was about 19 percent in the 2012 partisan primary.
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Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Elections Commission, said turnout in 2012 was spurred by a competitive, four-way Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat. The race was ultimately won by former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
“There was a lot of ads and a lot of attention,” Magney said. “Right now, the attention in the U.S. Senate campaign is really about November.”
On Aug. 9, voters will decide who will represent their party in the November elections for state Assembly and Senate seats, district attorney offices and U.S. House and Senate seats.
The commission expects typical turnout for the presidential election in November — about 70 percent of eligible voters, Magney said.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
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