Regardless of your political leanings and opinions on the recall election yesterday, here’s a fact we can all be happy about: Voter turnout in the Milwaukee area increased from 2010. In most counties, voter turnout increased by more than 10 percent – in Washington and Ozaukee counties, voter turnout increased by more than 15 percent.
|
2010 |
2012 |
|
|
Milwaukee |
64.1 percent |
75.8 percent |
|
Ozaukee |
67 percent |
83.3 percent |
|
Racine |
61.7 percent |
77.7 percent |
|
Waukesha |
72.8 percent |
84.3 percent |
|
Washington |
67.5 percent |
84.6 percent |
While Milwaukee City rates were not as high – estimated at about 70 percent – the turnout was higher than previous years. This fact did not go unnoticed by Alderwoman Milele Coggs. “Victory is generally measured by whoever gets the most votes on Election Day, but I would offer a different view. I believe firmly that there is victory to be had in the record numbers that the City of Milwaukee turned out on Election Day. In the midst of our great city taking several hits in the weeks leading up to the election … 70% of voters turned out in Milwaukee, the kind of turnout usually seen only in presidential elections,” she said in a written statement.
In another case of interesting math, John MacCormack of The Weekly Standard did some more number noodling and found that even if 100 percent of registered voters had turned out in Milwaukee and Dane counties – which are known as Democratic strongholds – Walker still would have won.
(Data from the Wisconsin Government Accountability office and The New York Times.)
