2:04 PM: Madison, Milwaukee turning out as expected
Election officials in the state's two largest municipalities said mid-day turnout levels were normal for a spring election.
Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Susan Edman said polling locations had slowed down since the morning, but expected things to pick up later this afternoon and remain steady until polls close at 8 p.m.
"It was busy when the polls opened and it has kind of died down like it usually does," Edman said. Edman predicted that Milwaukee would have a slightly higher turnout than the statewide projected turnout of 20 percent.
Dane County Clerk Robert Ohlsen said that the city of Madison had reached 5 percent turnout as of 11 a.m., totals he characterized as "pretty much normal."
Elsewhere, Eau Claire City Clerk Donna Austad said turnout was at 4 percent at noon with a projected turnout of 12 percent to 16 percent. She said today's totals "might be a little low" compared to the initial city projections of 15 percent to 20 percent.
-- By Andy Szal
Labels: 2008 spring election