Our recommendations
On April 5, 1960, according to the Government Accountability Board, nearly half of eligible voters (49.9%) turned out in the hotly contested Wisconsin presidential primary, and gave John Kennedy a critical victory in his run for the presidency. In 2012, with President Barack Obama assured of the Democratic nomination and Mitt Romney rolling toward the Republican nomination, the turnout was only 26.13%.
On Tuesday, the GAB is expecting something closer to the 1960 results, although perhaps not quite that good. We’re hoping Wisconsin voters will show up in droves Tuesday and beat all previous records. The stakes are high not only in both parties’ primaries but in the statewide race for Supreme Court and in local races such as the Milwaukee mayor’s race and the race for Milwaukee County executive. Your vote matters.
Here are our recommendations in several races, as well as a couple of things voters should keep in mind: GOP presidential primary: John Kasich. Milwaukee County executive: Chris Abele. Milwaukee mayor: Tom Barrett. We also argued in editorials last week that: Donald Trump is unfit to be president; Hillary Clinton has an abysmal track record on open government issues; and Rebecca Bradley would be a bad political fit for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is already top-heavy with conservatives who march in lock step with Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature. In that race, Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg is qualified and likely would bring independence to the court.
Voting regulations to remember: You’ll need to bring a picture ID to the polls. According to the state’s “Bring it to the Ballot” site, the following IDs are acceptable for voting purposes, and can be unexpired or expired after the date of the most recent general election (currently, the Nov. 4, 2014 election):
A Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver license, even if driving privileges are revoked or suspended; a Wisconsin DOT-issued identification card; a Wisconsin DOT-issued identification card or driver license without a photo issued under the religious exemption; a military ID card issued by a U.S. uniformed service; a U.S. passport; an identification card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin (may be used even if expired before the most recent general election).
These photo IDs are also acceptable for voting purposes, but must be unexpired:
A veteran’s photo identification card issued by the Veterans Health Administration of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs; a certificate of naturalization that was issued not earlier than two years before the date of an election at which it is presented; a driving receipt issued by Wisconsin DOT (valid for 45 days); an identification card receipt issued by Wisconsin DOT (valid for 45 days); a photo identification card issued by a Wisconsin accredited university, college or technical college that contains date of issuance, signature of student, and an expiration date no later than two years after date of issuance (also, the university, college or technical college ID must be accompanied by a separate document that proves enrollment); a citation or notice of intent to revoke or suspend a Wisconsin DOT-issued driver license that is dated within 60 days of the date of the election.