Five things to know about Wisconsin's primaries
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MADISON—Five things to know about Tuesday's primary elections in Wisconsin:
1. NO PHOTO ID NEEDED
Polls open statewide at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters who are already registered do not need photo identification to cast their ballots because the state's photo ID law has been blocked by a federal judge. However, voters who want to register at the polls on Election Day do need to bring proof of residence, which could be a driver's license, state-issued photo ID, university photo ID, utility bill, bank statement or paycheck.
2. NO CROSSOVER VOTING
Voters don't have to declare a party affiliation, but they can't vote for both Democratic and Republican candidates in primary elections. A law in place since 1905 limits voters to casting ballots for partisan candidates from only one party. Ballots with crossover votes will be rejected.
3. KEEP YOUR VOTES A SECRET
It is against the law to show a marked ballot to another person. That means taking a picture of your completed ballot and posting it online to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat is a no-no.
4. FEW LINES EXPECTED
The state elections board predicts only 15 percent of the voting-age population, or about 660,000 people, will turn out. That's less than the nearly 20 percent who voted in the 2010, when there were competitive Republican and Democratic primaries for governor. This year, there's only a Democratic gubernatorial primary.
The highest fall partisan primary turnout was 28 percent in 1960.
5. CONGRESSIONAL CONTEST
The hottest race in the state is in the 6th congressional district, where four Republicans hope to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Tom Petri. Three state lawmakers—Sens. Joe Leibham and Glenn Grothman and Rep. Duey Stroebel—are competing with former technical college instructor Tom Denow. The primary winner is expected to have a significant advantage heading into the general election against Democrat Mark Harris, the Winnebago County executive, given that the district leans Republican.