Wisconsin, Wisconsin early voting, US Election,
The number of voters who participated on the first day of early in-person voting in Wisconsin for the 2024 election has significantly exceeded the turnout for the same day in 2020.
According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, 97,436 people voted in person on Tuesday, marking the beginning of early voting this year. In contrast, a 2020 report from the *Milwaukee Journal Sentinel* indicated that about 80,000 people had cast their ballots by the morning following the first day of in-person early voting during that election cycle.
Wisconsin, a critical battleground
Wisconsin is a critical battleground in several races this year. Both Vice President Harris and former President Trump are likely to rely on a win in the state to secure the presidency, while incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) faces a tight contest with Republican challenger Eric Hovde for her Senate seat.
Polling averages from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ show Trump with a slight lead over Harris in Wisconsin, with 48.3 percent support compared to Harris’s 48.1 percent. Meanwhile, Baldwin leads Hovde by 1.8 percentage points, holding 48.2 percent support compared to her opponent’s 46.4 percent.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), Harris’s running mate, visited Wisconsin on Tuesday for a rally alongside former President Obama. At the event, Walz criticized tech billionaire Elon Musk for his connection to Trump, indirectly referring to Musk’s appearance at a Trump rally earlier this month, where he energetically leaped on stage.
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