MADISON, Wis. – Democrats overcame legal confusion, safety concerns and presidential influence to pull off a win in Wisconsin this week, and both parties are mining the results for lessons on how to mobilize voters during a pandemic.
Amid widespread allegations that Republicans were seeking to suppress votes by forging ahead with a chaotic election, statewide turnout for the Supreme Court election and presidential primary was a strong 1.5 million, the second-highest turnout for a Supreme Court election in 20 years.
That was no doubt helped by a stunning jump in mail-in voting — from 12% of votes cast last year to 72% — that allowed many voters to exercise their right to vote without risking exposure to the coronavirus at polling places.