If you felt like the 2020 election was more intense than 2016’s, you were right. Every municipality in Milwaukee County increased its turnout over 2016, with 460,300 voters casting ballots.
That’s a turnout of 83.7% of registered voters, according to preliminary results released Wednesday, surpassing the 79.8% of 2016.
“More people participating in the process and exercising their right to vote is a testament to the level of engagement across Milwaukee County and across the political spectrum, and to all those who helped make sure the COVID-19 pandemic did not get in the way of democracy,” County Executive David Crowley said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “These are the true heroes of the election process and we are forever grateful for their tireless work.”
Overall, Milwaukee County voters cast 317,251 ballots for Democrat Joe Biden (69.1% of all ballots) and 134,355 for Republican President Donald Trump (29.3%), as usual the largest Democratic margin of any county in Wisconsin.
Also as usual, the city of Milwaukee was a huge driver of the Democratic candidate’s margin. Biden outpolled Trump by more than 146,000 votes, though Trump actually increased his vote share in the city, winning 19.3% of the vote in 2016 and 19.9% this year. Milwaukee residents cast more than 9,000 more votes for president this year than they did in 2016.
But two Milwaukee County suburbs flipped from red to blue; Greenfield and Greendale both voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016 but favored Biden over Trump this election. They joined the majority of Democrat-leaning Milwaukee suburbs; only Franklin, Hales Corners and Oak Creek voted for Trump in 2020.
Here are the presidential vote totals from all of Milwaukee County’s suburbs in 2016 (certified, recounted totals) and 2020 (preliminary totals)):
City of Milwaukee
2016: Clinton 188,653, Trump 45,167; total votes cast (excluding third parties and write-ins) 233,820
2020: Biden 194,646, Trump 48,413; total votes cast: 243,059
Bayside
2016: Clinton 1,848, Trump 865; total votes cast: 2,713
2020: Biden 2,185, Trump 866; total votes cast: 3,051
Brown Deer
2016: Clinton 4,407, Trump 2,039; total votes cast: 6,446
2020: Biden 5,324, Trump 2,011; total votes cast: 7,335
Cudahy
2016: Clinton 4,514, Trump 3,940; total votes cast: 8,454
2020: Biden 6,003, Trump 4,942; total votes cast: 10,945
Fox Point
2016: Clinton 2,791, Trump 1,425; total votes cast: 4,216
2020: Biden 3,492, Trump 1,429; total votes cast: 4,921
Franklin
2016: Trump 10,573, Clinton 8,046; total votes cast: 18,619
2020: Trump 11,870, Biden 10,046; total votes cast: 21,916
Glendale
2016: Clinton 4,704, Trump 2,705; total votes cast: 7,409
2020: Biden 6,312, Trump 2,326; total votes cast: 8,638
Greendale
2016: Trump 4,178, Clinton 3,844; total votes cast: 8,022
2020: Biden 4,784, Trump 4,513; total votes cast: 9,297
Greenfield
2016: Trump 9,283, Clinton 8,765; total votes cast: 18,048
2020: Biden 10,804, Trump 9,891; total votes cast: 20,695
Hales Corners
2016: Trump 2,388, Clinton 1,722; total votes cast: 4,110
2020: Trump 2,479, Biden 2,240; total votes cast: 4,719
Oak Creek
2016: Trump 9,039, Clinton 7,638; total votes cast: 16,677
2020: Trump 10,562, Biden 9,850; total votes cast: 20,412
River Hills
2016: Clinton 585, Trump 494; total votes cast: 1,079
2020: Biden 715, Trump 535; total votes cast: 1,250
St. Francis
2016: Clinton 2,676, Trump 2,003; total votes cast: 4,679
2020: Biden 3,381, Trump 2,237; total votes cast: 5,618
Shorewood
2016: Clinton 6,527, Trump 1,407; total votes cast: 7,934
2020: Biden 7,700, Trump 1,460; total votes cast: 9,160
South Milwaukee
2016: Clinton 4,817, Trump 4,758; total votes cast: 9,575
2020: Biden 5,639, Trump 5,346; total votes cast: 10,985
Wauwatosa
2016: Clinton 16,316, Trump 10,034; total votes cast: 26,350
2020: Biden 20,880, Trump 10,104; total votes cast: 30,984
West Allis
2016: Clinton 13,666, Trump 12,807; total votes cast: 26,473
2020: Biden 15,897, Trump 12,680; total votes cast: 28,577
West Milwaukee
2016: Clinton 1,026, Trump 481; total votes cast: 1,507
2020: Biden 1,130, Trump 539; total votes cast: 1,669
Whitefish Bay
2016: Clinton 5,643, Trump 2,660; total votes cast: 8,303
2020: Biden 7,080, Trump 2,867; total votes cast: 9,947
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the vote totals for the Brown Deer.
