Voter turnout in Wisconsin’s nationally-watched Supreme Court election last April broke records for a Badger State spring election not featuring a presidential primary. In Milwaukee, election administrators reportedly had to print additional ballots on Election Day to keep up with demand. Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that there was “historic turnout in the spring election” the likes of which the city had never seen.
The record numbers got a big boost from Election Day Registrations (EDRs). A Milwaukee elections official told The Federalist that 5,813 people registered to vote on the day of the April 1 election. That’s a nearly 63 percent increase in same-day voters compared to the 2023 spring election featuring a statewide Supreme Court race, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission.