Wisconsin Early Voting Is Record-High, Reports Say

Wisconsin's pivotal status in the Repulbican and Democratic Party presidential primaries is bringing record-turnouts in early voting, (in-person, absentee voting).

In Fitchburg, Wisconsin in Dane County, 1,000-pus people had already early-voted Thursday. Fitchburg has a population of 25,000.

Milwaukee Election Commission executive director Neil Albrecht tells WTMJ radio early voter turnout is up more than 400 percent over previous presidential primaries in 2008 and 2012.

In Appleton, the line outside the city clerk's office has been steady with voters who don't want to wait until Tuesday to cast their ballot. Clerk Cami Lynch tells WBAY-TV the number of early voters is double the number in the last presidential primary, (AP, WKOW.TV).

Up north, social media posts indicate long lines at towns and villages this week suggesting high turnout.

Today is the last day of early voting in Wisconsin because of a Republican-passed law slashing early voting periods.

Knowledge of the Republican-passed photo voter ID law's first application in a presidential-level election likely also ran up the early voting as suppressing voters in urban areas and creating long lines on Election Day are expected consequences.

Wisconsin's photo voter ID law could block as many as 300,000 registered voters from casting their preference, (Mal Contends), (Frank v. Walker, (Nos.  14-2058 and 14-2059), Judge Richard Posner dissent).

"To exacerbate matters, Wisconsin has allocated no money to educate voters about the new law, as required by the legislation, and Republicans have dismantled the non-partisan Government Accountability Board in charge of supervising elections," writes Ari Berman in The Nation.