With hotly contested races for governor and senate, high voter turnout statewide caused some problems at polling places, officials said.
Government Accountability Board spokesperson Reid Magney said voter turnout was heavy statewide. The GAB predicted voter turnout to be 50 percent.
Voter turnout in Dane County was 66.7 percent, with 220,205 ballots cast of the 330,268 people eligible, a Badger Herald analysis showed.
Wisconsin does not report official numbers on election night, including results and voter turnout.
Officials in Columbia County needed to print extra ballots as a result of the high voter turnout, Magney said.
Problems did occur around the state, according to a GAB statement, including reports of ballots not being scanned properly and voters receiving incorrect ballots.
Voters in wards 15 and 16 of Brookfield were switched according to the statement, but will be counted as they were cast.
Earlier in the day, the statements said the GAB reported problems with election officials requiring voters to show a photo ID before casting their ballots.
“Wisconsin law and GAB. policy are clear that no photo ID is required to vote,” the statement said.
Magney could not say whether these issues increased from last year, but did say when turnout is higher, more problems arise.
“Generally the more voters you have the more opportunities you have for issues [such as] running out of ballots [and] lines at the polling place,” Magney said.
The University of Wisconsin’s chapters of College Democrats and College Republicans worked did their part to increase voter turnout on campus.
College Democrats chair Evan Giesemann said the group started campaigning heavily on Oct. 29 by sending volunteers to knock on doors, handing out literature and canvassing.
Their efforts culminated on Election Day, when three large tents were set up on Library Mall. Giesemann said volunteers manned the tents all day, answering questions from students on where their polling places were and what they needed to register at the polls.
The College Republicans have also been busy. Group members have been making phone calls from the group’s Victory Center in Fitchburg, as well as knocking on doors and handing out literature.
