Approximately half of the Wisconsin voting-age population is predicted to turn out to vote Nov. 2, according to the Government Accountability Board.

The GAB released estimates Thursday that 2.18 million Wisconsinites, about 50 percent, will be voting in the general election.

There are 4,372,347 Wisconsin residents of voting age eligible to vote in this election, according to the GAB.

The GAB identified the race for the open governor’s seat as the main driving force bringing voters to the polls, but a highly contested Senate race and over 20 percent of the seats in the Legislature being contested should bring voters out as well.

Many local communities also have referendums on their ballots that could encourage more voters to make an appearance Nov. 2, according to the GAB.

“Based on media coverage, it appears people are agitating for change. We did not see that energy translate into votes in the primary, but we expect significantly higher turnout in the general election,” Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the GAB, said in a statement.

The highest voter turnout in a midterm election since 1960 was 52.4 percent in 1962.

The GAB is being careful not to oversell this prediction, however, as their predictions for the primary election proved to be somewhat off the mark.

“While there appears to be tremendous interest in this election, we do not believe it will be quite a record turnout,” Kennedy said.

GAB predictions for the primary elections Sept. 14 put expected voter turnout at a record 28 percent, but only 19 percent of Wisconsin voters showed up to vote.

Still, the GAB was pleased with the primary election turnout. Reid Magney, a GAB spokesperson, said even though it was lower than projected, it was a good turnout overall.

During the last election cycle in 2008, 69.2 percent of Wisconsin voters participated in both the congressional and presidential elections.

Voter turnout in Wisconsin generally declines during midterm elections, but midterm turnout has increased steadily since 1990.

Turnout in the last midterm election hit a 15-year high at nearly 51 percent, a level driven largely by a statewide referendum on same-sex marriage according to the GAB.