Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin are covering our contentious spring election on Tuesday, April 7, with updates from election sites around the state.

Here's what you need to know if you're voting today in person and absentee.

A lack of poll workers has resulted in many polling places closing. Here's a list of where you can vote in-person Tuesday.

And here's a guide to what's on the ballot.

Coronavirus updates: Non-election related updates on COVID-19 in Milwaukee can be found on our coronavirus blog.

Did you request an absentee ballot for the spring election that you never received? Tell the Journal Sentinel what happened.

Election clerks will not be releasing results until next week, so we will not be posting results on our site today. But visit our Election 2020 page for full coverage of the election and the issues at stake.

11:30 p.m.: Milwaukee releases Tuesday's total in-person voting turnout

The Milwaukee Election Commission reported turnout totals for in-person voting at the polls Tuesday.

In an election that featured widespread absentee balloting, 18,803 voters came to Milwaukee's five polling sites on Tuesday to vote in person. That number will be dwarfed by absentee balloting when the numbers are counted.

Here's the breakdown for in-person voting Tuesday at Milwaukee voting sites:

Riverside High: 3,914

South Division: 3,577

Hamilton High: 3,774

Washington High: 3,628

Marshall High: 3,910

— Mary Spicuzza

9:04 p.m. An hour after polls closed, a long line at Riverside voting site

An hour after polls closed statewide at 8 p.m., there was still a long line of voters outside of Riverside University High School on Milwaukee's east side waiting for their turn to vote.

Many in line were standing closer than the recommended six-foot distance. Many of the people in line were wearing paper or makeshift masks.

Voters expressed frustration with the circumstances of Tuesday's voting and being funneled through such a limited number of polling sites in the city.

Amina Merchant, 39, was wearing a full plastic shield over her face with a paper mask beneath it as she left the polling place about 8:40 p.m.

She said she didn't request her absentee ballot in time, so she waited two hours in line. Merchant said she is worried about her health and just gave birth two weeks ago.

"I think this is terrible," she said of the situation in which she cast her ballot. "I think it's completely unhealthy. I think everyone's safety is at risk. If you look, nobody is keeping or adhering to the social distancing of six feet, and so I am very worried for everyone's health, including my own."

Jesse Stingl said about 8:20 p.m. that he got in line at 7:59 p.m. He said as he stood near the end of the line in Riverside Park that he felt making a statement was worth the risk of getting sick.

"I felt like they were attempting to suppress me" by limiting the number of Milwaukee polling stations to five and forcing voters into an unsafe environment to vote, he said.

He said he saw no semblance of control in terms of preventing the spread of infection.

"I have to weigh whether or not I think my rights are as important as my own safety and the decision to come out here, period," he said.

— Alison Dirr

7 p.m. Preliminary Milwaukee turnout numbers start coming in

The Milwaukee Election Commission released preliminary numbers of ballots cast at two of the five voting centers open in the city Tuesday, with an hour before polls were set to close.

"Those numbers are pretty consistent with what we had projected in terms of what in-person voting might look like in today's election," Election Commission Executive Director Neil Albrecht said during a virtual press conference.

He said within the last hour, Hamilton High School reported 3,250 voters and Washington High School reported 2,500 voters.

He said he did not have a number from Riverside High School, which he said was too busy to tally figures at this point. Riverside was the busiest voting site in the city, he said.

In total, Albrecht anticipated each site would see between 3,000 and 5,000 voters Tuesday.

He said the city issued about 97,000 absentee ballots and had so far had between a 55% and 60% return rate on those ballots. Any ballot postmarked by Tuesday and received by April 13 can still be counted in the election.

— Mary Spicuzza and Alison Dirr

6:55 p.m. Many absentee voters hadn't received ballots by election day

On election day, many Wisconsin voters were still waiting to receive their ballot after requesting it more than two weeks ago while others couldn't get one at all after being unable to find a witness to break social distancing rules to sign their ballot certificate.

Clerks face a task they've never had before: sending 1.3 million ballots by mail, finding workers willing to risk their health on election day, and providing enough masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to keep everyone safe.

At least 50 people have contacted the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in recent days reporting issues getting their ballots by mail as clerks became overwhelmed with requests. Some say clerks don't even have a record of voters' ballot requests.

Dale Stoeber lives in Kenosha and is 71 — too old to vote safely in person and not risk developing life-threatening complications if he catches the virus. But he said he's going to have to do that.

"I have no choice but to vote in person, with much apprehension," he told the Journal Sentinel. "Lord help the state if it is proven down the line that this virus spreads more widely."

Stoeber tried to vote absentee but wasn't able to because of a state law that requires a witness signature.

More than 400,000 absentee ballots haven't been returned as of Monday, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, or 32% of the nearly 1.3 million ballots requested as of Monday. Typically, about 80% of absentee voters return their ballots.

— Molly Beck

Read the full story here.

6:32 p.m. Fox Point had trouble mailing absentee ballots

For the past two weeks, absentee ballots that were supposed to be mailed out to Fox Point residents have bounced back to Fox Point Village Hall.

In the first week, the village received anywhere from 20 to 50 returned absentee ballots per day.

In the week leading up to Tuesday's election, the village received between 100 to 150 ballots per day. About 10 per day were supposed to be sent to Glendale, not Fox Point.

On the morning of election day, Fox Point Village Hall received a plastic mail bin with 175 ballots, including a number of Glendale ballots.

The ballots are unopened and unmarked. They don’t have a “return to sender” stamp or any type of explanation attached to them, Village Manager Scott Botcher said.

Every time they received a batch of absentee ballots, village officials immediately drove the ballots back to the nearest post office, at 5651 N. Lydell Ave. They asked Post Office supervisors what was wrong with the ballots, but they did not receive any explanation.

“We’re not sure why this happened,” Botcher said. “Nobody seems to be able to tell me why.”

Village officials did not return the batch of ballots that arrived on election day, since the postal service wouldn’t have been able to deliver them to residents on the same day.

As residents called Village Hall inquiring about their ballots, village officials browsed through that morning’s mail to see if that resident’s ballot was in the basket. If it was, village officials would allow residents to come to Village Hall with a photo ID to receive their ballot.

Residents who did not receive an absentee ballot in the mail were advised to vote in person at their polling place on election day.

Botcher said he plans to ask a more senior level postal official to explain the snafu, for fear it could reoccur in the November election.

— Jeffrey Rumage

6:12 p.m. President Donald Trump criticizes Gov. Tony Evers over election

President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Wisconsin Democrats of wanting to move the election only after he had endorsed incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, according to USA TODAY.

Trump first endorsed Kelly during a Milwaukee rally in January.

He also blamed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for long lines at the polls and the potential for voters to contract coronavirus when they voted in person, according to USA TODAY.

5:52 p.m. Health officials warn in-person polling might increase coronavirus cases

Health officials warned that coronavirus cases may increase because thousands of people are heading to polls to vote on Tuesday.

Greenfield Health Department Director Darren Rausch noted that the number of cases and deaths continue to increase each day in Wisconsin which has been under a “safer at home” order by Gov. Tony Evers for several weeks.

“We know the peak of COVID-19 is still on the horizon, likely in the next few weeks,” Rausch said at an afternoon press briefing.

Because people are leaving their homes and mingling with others at election sites, “it certainly will and certainly may impact the number of cases here two to three weeks out,” said Rausch.

While many people donned masks to cast votes on Tuesday, Ben Weston, medical director at the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, said cloth masks do not provide much protection.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended people wear any kind of mask, even home-made cloth masks, “it’s important to understand cloth masks provide very limited protection from COVID-19," Weston said.

“While they’re better than nothing, there’s risk of them providing a false sense of security,” said Weston, adding that social distancing is still critical.

— Meg Jones

5:49 p.m. No lines for Germantown voting

Despite all the voting chaos, especially with in-person voting being canceled and reinstated, consolidating four voting sites into the high school and having a record number of absentee ballots, Germantown Village Administrator Steve Kreklow said this was one of his smoothest day-of voting experiences.

There were no lines at all during the day.

“Voting was done the way we were hoping in a different situation. It is amazing how everyone worked together, and how people came together to make it work,” said Kreklow. “The public has been very understanding and great.”

Kreklow also said there was a shortage of 30 poll workers, but 40 village employees and five members of the National Guard stepped up.

He said that the village collected nearly 5,000 absentee ballots.

“It looks like there are more absentee ballots than the last presidential election," he said.

There were no lines inside and out of the field house.

— Cathy Kozlowicz

5:29 p.m.: Oak Creek sees lines as voters observe social distancing

At Oak Creek High School lines of voters stretched out the door at times, with many people observing six-foot social distancing. Because of a shortage of election workers, the high school is the only voting site for the Milwaukee County community of 36,000.

Steve Elkes took time off from his job at a metal factory to cast his vote.

“I never considered voting absentee. I was looking forward to coming and voting in person,” said Elkes.

Taylor Nelson and Julie Gabriel rubbed sanitizer into their hands as they exited through a door from the high school gym. Neither considered voting absentee, though they were surprised by the drama on Monday with the governor ordering polling sites closed only to have the state and U.S. supreme courts make rulings that affected the primary.

“I wish it would have happened sooner. There was so much confusion yesterday,” said Nelson. “I was wondering if the election was going to go on or not.”

Some people wore masks, some wore masks and gloves, some did not. Then there was Barbara Pieszak who came up with her own solution. She didn’t have a mask so she made one by folding paper toweling like a flag and then stapling rubber bands at the ends.

“I’m not worried about what’s going on – take your precautions. I’m faith-based, everything happens for a reason,” said Pieszak, whose normal polling place is at an Oak Creek church.

As Pieszak waited outside Oak Creek High School for her husband to show up and vote, she saw another voter leave wearing a round “I Voted” sticker stuck to her shirt. “Oh no, I forgot to get one of those,” she said.

— Meg Jones

5:15 p.m. All but one Wisconsin county uses National Guard at polls

All but one county in Wisconsin used Wisconsin National Guard members as poll workers during Tuesday’s spring election, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Gov. Tony Evers asked the guard to make available soldiers and airmen to assist at the polls after clerks reported a massive statewide shortage of workers as the mostly elderly workforce stayed home to avoid infection.

Of the 2,409 soldiers who worked Tuesday, Milwaukee and Dane counties received the most assistance with 264 and 249 soldiers each.

Florence County was the only county without soldiers helping out Tuesday.

— Molly Beck

5:10 p.m. In Milwaukee, Greenfield, Cudahy everything from "long lines" to "pretty busy" day

Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson has gotten updates from municipal clerks throughout the day reporting “long lines” at City of Milwaukee polling sites, a “steady” stream of voters in Greenfield and a “pretty busy” election day in Cudahy.

“Poll workers are in great spirits. The voters are appreciative. Certainly there is some confusion at first and quite frankly some complaints over this process,” Christenson said at a 3:30 p.m. virtual press briefing.

Christenson said municipal clerks must report the number of provisional ballots cast on Tuesday. Those are ballots cast by people who do not have the proper identification but are given until Friday to present their IDs so their votes are counted.

All ballots cast in Milwaukee County on Tuesday, including absentee ballots received by election day, will be kept locked up by those clerks until the Board of Canvass count on Monday. All voting equipment, which have individual serial numbers, and flash drives will also be stored and kept locked until the count, said Milwaukee County Elections Director Julietta Henry.

— Meg Jones

4:55 p.m. Mayor Barrett criticizes lawmakers for insisting on in-person election

For several weeks Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has told residents to stay home, practice social distancing and only go out for necessary reasons. And he advocated for a mail-only election.

On election day he sharply criticized lawmakers who insisted on going ahead with in-person voting for the presidential primary and spring election on the scheduled day.

Barrett, a Democrat, noted that 11 other states changed primary election dates because of the coronavirus pandemic but “for purely hardball partisan reasons that did not happen here.”

— Meg Jones

4:45 p.m. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele says he didn’t receive his absentee ballot

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is one of thousands of residents in Wisconsin who requested but did not get an absentee ballot by Tuesday. So he voted in person at South Division High School on W. Lapham Boulevard.

"Today is the last day, you have until 8 (p.m.)," Abele said Tuesday. “You don’t have until the 13th if you want your vote counted.”

The county executive noted that poll workers have taken extra measures to clean election sites, cleaning voting booths after every voter and handing out extra pens for those who did not want to share a pen to fill in their ballots.

“People have gone out of their way to make this process as safe as possible,” said Abele, adding that “it’s incredibly unfortunate it had to come to this.”

— Meg Jones

4:32 p.m. Sister Bay sees election day first: Drive-thru voting

Where a Sister Bay-Liberty Grove firetruck usually parks instead sat a line of voting booths on Tuesday.

For the first time, Sister Bay welcomed drive-thru voting. Cars pulled into the fire station garage and poll workers confirmed voters' addresses, checked IDs and handed them their ballots through the voters' driver’s side windows. People could wait to watch poll workers slide their ballots into the machine.

Voters could still walk in to vote. Sister Bay Clerk Heidi Teich said about half of Tuesday’s voters chose to walk in.

The village tallied 436 voters around 3:30 p.m., already counting more than half of all registered voters, according to Teich. They also had over 400 absentee ballot requests.

Several voters drove in wearing masks, and all the poll workers sported them as well.

Teich said the day went smoothly, and voters did not wait in line for long.

— Sammy Gibbons/Door County Advocate

4 p.m. West Allis sees record number of absentee requests, slow and steady voting at polls

In West Allis, a slow but steady stream of residents are making their way to the polls, said West Allis City Clerk Steven Braatz Jr.

An unprecedented number of people requested absentee ballots for the election – about 12,600 of the city’s 32,000 registered voters.

That’s nearly three times the previous high of about 4,400 absentee ballots for the 2016 presidential election and more than four times the number typically seen at an election of this size, Braatz said.

About nine to 12 poll workers are working at each of the city’s seven polling locations, a bit less than were originally scheduled.

That’s because Braatz said in the last 48 hours, four or five poll workers contacted him to say they weren’t showing up, another called this morning with the same news, and there were a couple of no-shows, too.

The city is taking all the usual safety precautions at the polls, Braatz said.

He said about 75% of voters are wearing facemasks.

Braatz said this election has presented a huge challenge.

“The back and forth has been very difficult to manage — the changes in the laws, the court cases that have changed the processes,” he said. “In addition, trying to manage an election during a pandemic, you have to add in all the safety precautions that you wouldn’t normally add in, so from my perspective, it’s just been a juggernaut of the largest kind.”

– Bob Dohr

3:54 p.m. Green Bay experiences frustrations of in-person voting

In Green Bay, fewer than 50 poll workers helped hundreds of people lined up outside East and West high schools — the only two sites open in a city accustomed to 31 polling places. The chief inspector at East High School said early Tuesday that people had been patient with the process.

Residents — many wearing face masks — waited hours to cast their ballots while keeping their distance from one another. One person at West High School started doing jumping jacks to pass the time. Voters at East High School said the election was too important to sit out but expressed frustration at state officials for allowing it to proceed amid a pandemic.

“It’s just a scary thing right now ... this is putting all of us at risk,” Dale Drake said.

Steph Hummel, who lives in Green Bay, still had not received her absentee ballot in the mail Tuesday after requesting it on March 23. She assumed she wouldn’t need to leave the house to vote, she said, so she wasn’t equipped with a mask or gloves to protect herself.

Hummel was unsure if she should head to Green Bay West High School to cast her ballot and said she felt angry that she had to risk her life in order to be heard.

“I feel like our state is letting us down by allowing this to happen,” she said.

— Haley BeMiller/Green Bay Press-Gazette

3:51 p.m. Madison voters express disappointment with elected leaders allowing election to proceed

Poll workers in Madison wore face masks, face shields and rubber gloves as they directed people to voting booths and kept them six feet apart from each other in line.

At the Hawthorne Library, Ben Shinners said he thought about staying away from the polls for safety reasons but decided to vote because he wants to see change. He said Gov. Tony Evers and other officials should have done more sooner to try to delay the election.

“I’m disappointed that our governor didn’t see earlier that he should have canceled this. I’m also disappointed that the Wisconsin Supreme Court did not … put people first,” he said. “It’s hard for me to believe in our political system right now just because I really feel, especially in Wisconsin, it’s all just partisan stuff. And I don’t think the voters are really taken into account at all.”

William Gilomen wore a red bandanna around his face and timed his visit to the library in the afternoon to avoid the morning and evening rushes. He said he believed the city took precautions that kept voters safe.

“I think it went fine,” he said as he rubbed his hands with sanitizer. “I didn’t feel any threats or danger myself. It went very smooth. I think it took about three minutes.”

Down the street at East High School, Max Dyer said he was frustrated that Republican lawmakers hadn’t gone along with Evers to delay the election. He said he came to the polls to send a message to Republicans by voting for Jill Karofsky, a Dane County judge running for state Supreme Court.

“I just feel like this is a real abuse of power by the Republicans to try to keep power,” he said as he waited in line. “They’ve done that ever since the governor was elected and I think they’re trying to continue to do whatever they can do to try to keep their power.”

— Patrick Marley

3:44 p.m.: Severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 9 p.m.

It's a gorgeous April day for heading to the polls. But take a coat and an umbrella.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for southeast Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee area, until 9 p.m. tonight.

— Annysa Johnson & Alison Dirr

3:35 p.m. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder criticizes decision to hold in-person election

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder slammed the decision to hold in-person voting in Wisconsin Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"In spite of the fact that public health experts have told everyone to practice social distancing to help fight the spread of COVID-19, the Wisconsin legislature, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court are forcing too many people to wait in lines to vote today," he said in a statement. "The pictures coming out of Wisconsin are troubling. This is unnecessary and harmful."

Holder, who served under President Barack Obama, a Democrat, noted that people throughout the country, including "every age, race, and background" have contracted the virus.

"Political leaders in Congress and at the state level must begin preparations now to ensure that voters do not have to choose between staying healthy or casting a vote in November," Holder said.

— Mary Spicuzza

3:19 p.m.: Video shows Vos giving misinformation on email ballots

No matter what you hear from the state’s Republican leadership, you cannot request an email ballot today.

State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, was a driving force behind keeping in-person balloting for today’s election. He’s even serving as an election inspector. But he’s giving out bad information when it comes to absentee voting.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission reiterated today that the deadline to request a ballot via email was Friday — even for those who requested a mailed ballot on time but haven’t yet received it.

A video posted on Twitter by journalist Parker Molloy shows Vos being asked about voters who requested ballots as of Friday but still haven’t gotten them.

“You have the ability to request from your clerk an email ballot,” said Vos. “You can fill it out and send it back in. That’s what the elections board decided yesterday.”

That’s wrong.

PolitiFact Wisconsin rated False a similar post from Ben Wikler, chairman of the state Democratic Party. Wikler later deleted that tweet.

Vos spokeswoman Kit Beyer confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Vos was mistaken, saying the elections commission "had guidance recently on that fact, which staff hadn’t briefed him on."

— Eric Litke

3:16 p.m. Franklin sees 10,700 absentee ballots requested

Franklin Clerk Sandi Wesolowski said Franklin has 22,000 registered voters and about 10,700 requested an absentee ballot. As of Monday night, 7,700 had been returned. She said thus far it has been 48% turnout based on ballots already mailed out to residents.

In April 2016 the turnout in Franklin was 65.53%, according to Wesolowski.

Franklin chose to keep all polling locations open to avoid having a large group in one place, which Wesolowski said “seemed like that was the opposite of what we’re telling people to do.”

Polling locations are equipped with sanitizer in addition to masks and gloves for workers. Spray sanitizer was supplied by the state.

“I feel we have good resources, it’s just reminding people of social distancing,” she said.

Franklin Mayor Steve Olson highlighted how the city has ordered 20,000 pens so each voter gets their own pen.

— Erik Hanley

2:50 p.m. About 70% of Whitefish Bay voters requested ballots by mail

While Milwaukee voters have seen long lines at the polls, traffic has been fairly light in suburbs like Whitefish Bay.

As of 1:30 p.m., fewer than 100 voters had cast in-person ballots at the Whitefish Bay Public Library, one of four polling locations open in the village, according to Fox Point Village President Douglas Frazer.

Frazier volunteered as a poll worker in Whitefish Bay because he was on the ballot in Fox Point and therefore could not be at polling locations.

With very few voters to greet, poll workers spent most of the day entering absentee ballots into voting machines.

Some 70% of Whitefish Bay’s voters requested ballots by mail, according to Village Manager Paul Boening.

Boening said the number of returned absentee ballots has not yet been calculated, but absentee ballots were coming in quickly on election day.

About 500 ballots arrived in the morning, and a steady stream of voters have been dropping off their ballots throughout the day in a box at Village Hall.

As mail-in absentee ballot continue to arrive in the next several days, Frazer said it will be difficult to tell which ballots will meet the April 7 postmark deadline, as only about one in 25 — typically only those from outside of Wisconsin — are postmarked.

Like other communities, Fox Point has mailed out absentee ballots, only to have boxes of them returned as undeliverable by the U.S. Postal Service, Frazer said.

“I’m hoping that people who haven’t received their ballot will come out to vote,” Frazer said.

Whitefish Bay has had some issues with absentee ballots not being delivered, Boening said, but the village has not received a large number of complaints.

— Jeffrey Rumage

2:44 p.m.: Absentee ballots and what that might mean for the Supreme Court race

As voters head to the polls during a pandemic Tuesday, more than 860,000 absentee ballots have already been returned to Wisconsin election clerks.

We don’t know how those people voted or what party they identify with, but we do know which counties those votes have come from, Journal Sentinel political reporter Craig Gilbert explains in an analysis available to subscribers. The piece looks at what absentee ballot returns could mean for the state Supreme Court race.

The counties that are generating a disproportionately high share of the absentee vote are concentrated in populous southern Wisconsin, he writes.

In fact, the three counties at the top of this list are the state’s biggest: very Democratic Milwaukee and Dane and very Republican Waukesha.

This is not a surprise, according to Gilbert. These three counties represent the areas with the most coronavirus cases, where voters are more motivated to vote by mail rather than in person. They may also be the three most politically mobilized counties in Wisconsin, he writes. And they historically cast more of their vote by absentee ballot than any other counties in the state.

Meanwhile, the counties that are generating a disproportionately low share of the absentee vote are concentrated in northern and western Wisconsin, especially in the Republican-leaning 16-county Green Bay media market, Gilbert writes.

— Annysa Johnson

2:42 p.m.: ‘Cleaner than the grocery store’: Brookfield moves all polling places to one location

The Brookfield Conference Center is the only polling place open in the City of Brookfield.

Voters practiced social distancing while in line, as the 18,000-square-foot ballroom held more than 100 poll workers and voters.

Poll workers took numerous precautions to ensure the safety of voters, putting tape in 6-foot increments on the ground. All the poll workers were wearing masks and other protective equipment.

Kelly Michaels, the City of Brookfield clerk, said things were running smoothly.

“It’s going about as well as can be expected for this crazy, crazy election,” Michaels said.

Josh Otto said it took him 25 minutes to vote upon entering the building.

“It was cleaner than a grocery store,” one voter said while exiting the building.

About 60 poll workers were also counting absentee ballots in a separate ballroom of the conference center.

— Evan Casey

2:40 p.m.: No lines reported at Poynette polling place

In Poynette in Columbia County, there certainly weren’t any lines at the polling place at the municipal building.

Voter Lori Melton wore a mask and carried her own pen. She wasn’t worried about there being a lot of people at the polling place because it’s a small town.

John Stark said he didn’t request an absentee ballot because he’s currently not working, so he had time to come out and vote.

He said he wasn’t worried about catching the virus, and that inside the polling location things were very clean. Not only that, he and his wife were the only ones voting at the time.

— Laura Schulte

2:25 p.m.: Marathon County elections going ‘smoothly,’ clerk says; curbside voting available

In-person voter turnout in Marathon County is higher than expected, said Marathon County Clerk Kim Trueblood. She said she is hearing from local clerks within the county that polling places are busy.

At one Wausau polling location where Trueblood stopped, “voters came in steadily” while she was there, she said.

Voters are minding new rules for social distancing at the polling places, while lines have generally been short, she added.

Only one poll worker had called in sick in Marathon County, and the position was filled with a back-up person, according to Trueblood.

If voters in Marathon County prefer to request “curbside” voting, they can do so by calling the phone number on signs posted in the parking lots of polling stations throughout the county. Two election inspectors will bring a ballot out to the voter and process it just as if they were in the polling place.

No one in the village of Weston had requested curbside voting as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Sherry Weinkauf, clerk for the village.

The voter turnout in Weston had been average as of Tuesday afternoon, but that could change, Weinkauf added.

— Megan Stringer/Wausau Daily Herald

2:10 p.m. Waukesha's sole polling site steady throughout morning

In the city of Waukesha, the sole polling site, according to one poll worker, was “steady” throughout the morning and early afternoon Tuesday as mostly masked voters filed into the Schuetze Recreation Center.

The stream was heaviest shortly after the polls opened at 7 a.m. and again between 10:30 a.m. and noon, with few problems – other than a limited number of voters complaining about the circumstances and the risks, said poll worker Lisa Collins.

“There was one woman who said, ‘I can’t believe they are making us do this today,’” Collins said. “I agree with her. It was foolish. (State officials) had plenty of time – plenty of time – to put this on.”

Voting was taking place in both a side room, where four voting stations were set up, and in the much larger gymnasium, where the crowds were more obvious, she said.

Asked if voters had expressly voiced their concerns about exposure to COVID-19, Collins said, “Some have, but most have not. I’ve only had one man yell at me because he had to touch the door, but he wasn’t wearing a mask. And we’re offering masks.”

Waukesha, which in the past has had 15 polling sites and this year had anticipated using 13, decided to combine all in-person voting to one site: the centrally located, large recreation center adjacent to Frame Park.

Gina Kozlik, the city’s clerk-treasurer, said the primary reason was the shortage of poll workers, but the number of absentee ballots submitted prior to March 31 made the decision easier.

— James Riccioli

1:55 p.m.: Smooth sailing in Wauwatosa

No lines inside or outside were seen at several polling locations in Wauwatosa.

Most of the polling places in the city are reporting an average wait time of 7 to 10 minutes from the moment a voter steps into a location until they walk out, according to Eva Ennamorato, the communications specialist for the city.

“We’ve had over 50% of registered voters request an absentee ballot, so we’re certainly seeing less people at the polls, so that’s encouraging,” Ennamorato said.

Wauwatosa normally has 10 polling locations, but they have cut that number down to seven.

Poll workers are sitting and standing behind Plexiglas barriers at all locations, and all workers are wearing protective gloves. Many workers are also wearing protective masks.

Hand sanitizer is also being dispensed to voters before and after voting.

Ennamorato said they have received multiple calls from voters who have not received their absentee ballot yet. They are telling those people to vote in person.

— Evan Casey

1:39 p.m. Town of Delafield sees 2,660 absentee ballots returned

The town of Delafield's three polling locations were not consolidated today to "ensure less traffic in the locations," according to clerk Dan Green.

For the 2016 presidential election, the town had 625 absentee ballots.

This time around, the clerk's office has had 2,660 absentee ballots returned.

— Evan Frank

1:35 p.m. Elections in Portage County start smoothly

Polling locations in Stevens Point and Hull were mostly quiet mid-Tuesday morning, but the village hall in Plover saw a steady stream of voters in a quick-moving line.

Plover voters took their places in line at designated spots set up to enforce social distancing, with some wearing masks and some not. Some voters came out of a sense of civic duty, some never received their absentee ballot, and others went to the polls while running errands.

Aubrie Mules, 30, stood in line with her toddler waiting to vote.

“I think it’s very important to vote. Despite everything, I’m here with my toddler,” Mules said.

Ron Rozner, 64, said he didn’t receive his absentee ballot but felt safe going to the polls while out running errands despite finding the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak scary. He said he thought few people would be at the polls given that Plover isn’t nearly as crowded as a major city and that the county has only seen a handful of cases.

Jenny Peterson, 43, didn’t receive her absentee ballot in time, either. Peterson said she thought the election should have been postponed because of the ongoing uncertainty with the flood of absentee voting and the public health emergency caused by the new coronavirus.

“I don’t think we should be voting (today),” she said.

— Alan Hovorka/Stevens Point Journal

1:35 p.m. Safety officer says it's 'nearly impossible' maintain social distancing throughout polling process

Jeff Pothof, chief quality and safety officer for UW Health in Madison, viewed photographs taken at polling places around the state and was left with two strong, very different impressions.

"Boy, I'm somewhat inspired by the people who despite the risks are going out and voting," he said. "However, it's nearly impossible to maintain social distancing throughout the process of going to the polls and voting. You can see some people quite close to each other, some wearing masks, some not.

"I mean people are trying. You can see that the poll workers are trying and the people voting are trying."

Asked about the challenge of running an election in the midst of a pandemic, Pothof said, "Talking with providers here in Wisconsin and across the country, they look at a decision like this with incredulity — that they would hold an in-person election during the greatest public health crisis in our history."

— Mark Johnson

1:25 p.m. Hundreds of Milwaukee ballots lack witness signatures, won't be counted

At least 750 absentee ballots in Milwaukee are missing witness signatures and will not be counted, and that number is expected to rise as the day goes on, said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

Speaking during a virtual news conference, Albrecht said his office will report the number of ballots cast after polls close today, but it will not report election results until next week after all absentee ballots have been received and counted.

As for in-person voting, Albrecht said Milwaukee voters are waiting in line for as long as 2½ hours to cast their ballots.

"We have moved forward with an election, but we have not moved forward with democracy in the state of Wisconsin," he said.

The city has only five voting centers that are open Tuesday, a dramatic drop from the 180 polling places typically open on election day.

Albrecht said each of the five opened essentially on time, and that National Guard members, Milwaukee police officers and Milwaukee Health Department staffers have been helping at the voting sites. But he acknowledged the average wait time was between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

Asked why the city wasn’t able to open more polling places with the help of the National Guard, Albrecht said he didn't know until yesterday exactly how many members would be able to help at Milwaukee's polling places. He added that the city ended up getting about 170 members.

Read the full story

— Mary Spicuzza

1:12 p.m.: Mayoral candidate Lena Taylor criticizes state, local leaders

State Sen. Lena Taylor, a mayoral candidate in Milwaukee, had harsh words for state and local leaders at Riverside High School, one of the five polling places open Tuesday in Milwaukee.

"It's unacceptable that my colleagues (in Madison) did not believe it important to demand that people have a safe and fair way to go to the polls," said Taylor, a Democrat. "We are leaders. We should not be putting Wisconsinites in this situation.

"If I was the majority leader, I would have called the Legislature in and let the votes land the way they would land. It's unacceptable."

Gov. Tony Evers called lawmakers into special session on Saturday in order to consider postponing the election, but the GOP-controlled Legislature quickly adjourned without any action or vote. On Monday, GOP leaders went to the state Supreme Court, which quickly overturned Evers' last-minute move to delay the election on his own.

In an interview, Taylor was also asked by reporters how she would have handled the situation differently as mayor.

"I would have pulled individuals together earlier," she said. "I would have ... never closed the early voting. I would have done more early voting locations. I would have put more ballots out so that individuals could get those at sites. I would have organized to help people in the low-income housing and people who are at sites where they normally vote, in their sites. I would have helped the disabled and nursing homes, not cancel individuals who normally go out to those sites. I would have done everything to franchise people, not disenfranchise people."

— JR Radcliffe

12:41 p.m. Trump, Michelle Obama weigh in on Wisconsin elections

As Wisconsin’s primary draws national attention, two high-profile voices from the right and the left weighed in on their Twitter feeds this morning.

On the right, President Donald Trump urged Wisconsin voters to turn out for conservative state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, calling him a “respected Republican” who is “tough on crime, loves your Military, Vets, Farmers & will save your 2nd Amendment.”

On the left, former First Lady Michelle Obama urged voters to drop their absentee ballots at their polling sites or in the mail. And she urged in-person voters to “prioritize your safety and the safety of others."

— Annysa Johnson

12:19 p.m.: Waits vary at several polling sites across the city

Voting started strong at South Division High School in Milwaukee on Tuesday, but it slowed by late morning. By 11:30 a.m., the line was barely out the door.

A handful of poll workers stood ready to assist voters with curbside voting but few drove up. Poll worker Natisia Martinez said about 15 to 20 cars had used the curbside voting area since polls opened at 7 a.m.

Poll workers wore masks, and some wore gowns and face shields.

“Most people thank us for being out here,” said poll worker Shane Mattner, 31. “I volunteered because the mayor said he needed younger people.”

Emilio De Torre, director of community engagement for ACLU of Wisconsin, was at the school to observe and document any problems.

“People seem to literally be taking their life into their hands to attempt to vote,” he said.

De Torre observed a 10-minute wait at South Division, while others from ACLU saw delays of 30 to 45 minutes at both Hamilton and Marshall high schools; an hour and a half at Washington High School and two hours at Riverside High School.

De Torre said not everyone in line was keeping at least six feet apart. He encouraged anyone having problems voting to contact the Election Protection Hotline at 866-687-8683.

— Rory Linnane

12:05 p.m.: 'We've had some people ... say it's a government hoax'

About two dozen cars waited in line for curbside voting outside Alexander Hamilton High School midmorning Tuesday, with volunteers handing out and collecting ballots through car windows.

Despite the option, hundreds came inside the school to vote in person. The room was full, the windows open for ventilation.

A team of masked city health officials and other volunteers watched as masked poll workers took in-person votes, often from people who'd chosen not to wear masks.

After every vote, workers used alcohol wipes or disinfectant to wipe down the equipment, the tables, even the pens. All workers had been told to change their masks every four hours. All had been given at least five pairs of protective gloves.

Most, but not all of the voters, appeared to take the health warnings seriously.

"We've had some people swear at us in line and say it's a government hoax," said Julie Katrichis, director of clinical operations for the Milwaukee Health Department.

"The National Guard is here in civilian clothes. They're helping promote a steady flow and physical distancing."

Still, officials acknowledged the difficulty of keeping large numbers of voters and volunteers safe in the midst of a pandemic.

"There's no way to keep people 100% safe," Katrichis said. "We're just doing the best we can. This was not our preference to have in-person voting. But the public's cooperation has been so crucial."

Aaron Lipski, assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, was working the polls in a mask and full Tyvek suit that is made to keep particulate matter, light oil and liquid away from the wearer.

"It's an extreme challenge, because nobody's ever done it before," Lipski said of running an election in a pandemic. "We're learning as we go today."

Asked if he thought the voting was more dangerous for poll workers or voters, Lipski said, "I guess the epidemiologists will figure that out in a couple of weeks. I'd say everybody passing through in these close proximities is at risk."

— Mark Johnson

11:14 a.m. Palmyra moves polling site to allow for more social distancing

In the village of Palmyra, where a school board race is among the races on the ballot, a total of 83 voters had visited the polls by 9:30 a.m., said Palmyra Village Clerk/Treasurer Laurie Mueller.

The village’s lone polling location was shifted from village hall to the community center at Palmyra-Eagle Middle/High School to provide more space, she said, and some but not all voters were wearing masks.

Mueller said a volunteer at the door is spray-sanitizing everyone's hands as they enter, and voters are being instructed to take a pen to vote and then either throw it away or take it home with them.

Poll workers outfitted with masks and gloves are working behind sneeze guards made by the village’s public works employees. There are Xes on the floor at 6-foot intervals.

“We have a person wiping down the poll booths after everyone votes and then randomly wiping down other areas in the voting location,” she said.

Along with the new location and safety provisions, Mueller said there’s clearly a different vibe at the polls.

“There’s not a lot of visiting and chit-chatting,” she said. “It’s pretty much come in and do your business and move on, which is good. We don’t want people hanging out.”

The school board election comes about a month after the Palmyra-Eagle Area School Board voted to close one of its elementary schools, a cost-saving move identified by the board after the state rejected its dissolution attempt in January.

— Bob Dohr

10:43 a.m.: No, you cannot get a ballot emailed to you

Posters across social media — including one shared by the chairman of the state Democratic party — have claimed ballots can be emailed now to voters who don’t want to get one in person.

That is not the case, said Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney. That deadline passed last week.

The deadline for mailed or e-mailed ballot requests was Friday. Until that date, voters could request a ballot by email, fax or through the commission’s website.

The only way for residents to cast a vote today, even those who previously requested an absentee ballot that hasn’t yet arrived, is by going to their local polling place in person.

Ben Wikler, chair of the state Democratic Party, tweeted Monday about email still being an option, but he later deleted it.

“He was wrong,” Magney said.

— Eric Litke

10:25 a.m. Love and commitment (to democracy) during pandemic

On their one-year engagement anniversary, Casey Hughes and Kayla Haessler spent the morning waiting to vote at Riverside High School in Milwaukee.

The couple arrived at 7:30 a.m., lining up blocks away from the school entrance, and said they were given masks by the Milwaukee Health Department an hour later.

Two and a half hours later, they were inside the school, waiting in line on Xs marked with tape to guide social distancing.

— Rory Linnane

10:20 a.m.: Oshkosh institutes curbside voting

Taking a page from the City of Milwaukee, the city of Oshkosh began offering curbside voting Tuesday.

According to a post on the city access channel's Facebook page, poll workers will bring ballots out to vehicles, wait while they are filled out and take them inside to enter into the voting machine.

City Manager Mark Rohloff has said he anticipated a low turnout, given the city had sent out over 10,000 absentee ballots in the past few weeks. In Winnebago County, clerks had sent out 38,830 absentee ballots as of Tuesday morning, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

— Pete Frank

9:56 a.m.: Appleton keeps all polling places open

Bucking the trend in other cities, Appleton kept all 15 of its polling places open Tuesday.

At 9 a.m. at St. Bernard Catholic Church on the city's southwest side, turnout was low, with just a handful of voters and a short waiting time.

Eight poll workers manned the stations, which were spread out throughout the room. There were taped Xes on the floor and signs directing voters to maintain a proper distance with others.

— Larry Gallup

9:33 a.m.: All polls open, National Guard in place, says Election Commission

In a morning blog post, the Wisconsin Election Commission said there were no reports of polling places unable to open on Tuesday. It said the National Guard was deployed to assist in the elections and that the state's MyVote website, which offers information on polling places, races on ballots and more, was operating well.

"To our understanding the National Guard members have all reported to their municipality or county this morning," the post said. "We have a National Guard liaison in our office today to help with coordination and deployment should an emergency arise."

9:10 a.m.: Surgeon General urges caution, says 'I know that people have died for the right to vote'

Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned voters heading to the polls in Wisconsin's primary Tuesday to take the needed precautions to stay safe, saying that he knows that people in the past have "died for the right to vote."

"I say as a black man that I know that people have died for the right to vote," Adams said during an interview with the "TODAY" show Tuesday. "This is very important to our entire country, and if people are going to go out there and vote, then please do it as safely as possible."

Wisconsin is holding its primary Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, tried to postpone the election until June 9 and expand absentee voting. However, his executive order was overruled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Read the full story.

9:06 a.m.: Green Bay residents voting at East and West High Schools

At Green Bay West High School, more than 100 people had already lined up to vote shortly after polls opened, each keeping a safe distance from each other to reduce the risk of the spread of the coronavirus.

Terry Sipes, who normally would vote at St. Elizabeth Seton School, said she attempted to vote by mail, but her absentee ballot did not arrive in time. She checked online at 5 a.m. to make sure the landscape hadn't changed after the state and U.S. Supreme Courts in separate rulings ordered the election to take place and overturned a lower court's order to extend the time for clerks to send out and count absentee ballots.

Absentee ballots must be either postmarked today or returned to a polling place or local clerk's office by 8 p.m. today.

Sipes said "nothing was going to keep me away" from voting in person once it was clear that in-person voting would take place.

"First of all, there is no way I would not vote today. No way," Sipes said of her decision to vote Tuesday. "Just the fact that we have the right to vote and if we don't exercise that right to vote, we're screwed as a country."

Green Bay is operating just two polling places today, at East and West high schools. Polls are open until 8 p.m.

—Karl Ebert

8:39 a.m.: Post touts extraordinary efforts to maintain safety at polling site

Ryan Findlay voted at South Division High School just after polls opened at 7 a.m. He posted this on Facebook:

"This is just my experience at my polling place ... but the volunteers here did an amazing job. Everyone in masks and gloves, keeping everyone in line six feet apart, offering hand sanitizer to everyone as they walk in the door, everyone gets their own pen, voting booths all staged six feet apart, and wiping down the booths after every use. If you’re on the fence or feeling uneasy today, maybe this will help a bit."

— Kathy Flanigan

8:26 a.m.: No 'I voted' stickers to avoid spread of virus

At the Polish Center of Wisconsin, 6941 S. 68th St. in Franklin, poll workers wore gloves and masks. At the entrance to vote there was a box of pens that voters used to fill out their ballot and were told to keep. Next to the box was a large jug of hand sanitizer.

There were pieces tape on the floor roughly six feet apart marking where people should stand when checking in to vote. When voters presented their photo ID, they placed it on a long, narrow strip of plastic so poll workers could move the ID toward them to inspect and hand it back without touching anything.

After voters were finished filling out their ballot, a poll worker sanitized the booth the voter used.

No "I voted" stickers were given out to reduce the chance of spreading the coronavirus.

— Ricardo Torres

8:22 a.m.: Surge of 140,000 absentee ballots arrive

As of Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., Wisconsinites have returned 864,750 absentee ballots out of 1,282,762 requested. There was surge of nearly 140,000 absentee ballots returned since the numbers that were reported on Monday.

Among the state's three largest counties, Milwaukee County had returned 124,960 absentee ballots out of 203,898 requested, or 61%; Waukesha County had returned 97,298 out of 128,286 requested (76%) and Dane County had returned 122,302 out of 178,828 requested (68%).

Wisconsin is now reporting 864,750 absentee ballots returned for April election — that is more than the number of absentee ballots cast for president in Wisconsin in 2016. And most of those 2016 absentees were in-person early votes. Most of these April 2020 absentee ballots are mail.

— Bill Glauber

8:05 a.m.: High temperatures for the evening, but also a chance of rain

Another factor to consider during the many issues facing the April 7 election: Rain.

According to the National Weather Service, Wisconsin's chances of precipitation increase in the evening, jumping from 22 percent in the 3 p.m. hour to 52 percent in the 5 p.m. hour before leveling off again as darkness falls.

Temperatures, meanwhile, will elevate into the upper 60s and top out in the low 70s for the evening.

— JR Radcliffe

7:51 a.m.: New Berlin police asking for help in observing social distance

In New Berlin, local police said they are assisting "the election committee and voting citizens at all seven polling places."

"Our goal is to keep everyone safe by using good social distancing guidelines," the police said in a Facebook post.

"While these are not 'laws' we will be asking for everyone's assistance today to prevent the spread of COVID 19. Our officers will be wearing glasses, N95 masks, and gloves to do their best to protect themselves. Please respect their distance in these uncharted times."

— Bill Glauber

7:20 a.m.: A look at one of the polling stations in Milwaukee

Photos from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photographer Mike De Sisti show the scene at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee. Marcia Triggs, a City of Milwaukee Health Department disease intervention specialist, hands out masks.

Michael Claus, 66, was among the several hundred people who showed up early to vote at Riverside.

"People died for my right to vote, so if I have to take a risk to vote that's what I have to do," he said. "I'm kind of disappointed in our representatives (who) are trying to suppress our right to vote by having us about during a pandemic."

— Mike De Sisti

Monday, 11 p.m.: Poll workers fear catching, spreading coronavirus

Health concerns have left Wisconsin polling locations short-staffed; many have closed or been consolidated. The remaining workers — and volunteers who've stepped up to fill the void — will be following guidelines such as cleaning voting stations and wearing masks and gloves. But they worry about the possibility of contracting the virus while ensuring that the election moves forward.

"I think that this is just a signal that we need to figure out a system so that people can vote in every location," said Amy Sholis, who'll be volunteering as a poll worker in Fitchburg on Tuesday.

"I'm happy that there are people willing to step in, and put their lives on the line," she said, "but maybe that isn't the best system to rely on to make sure the democratic process remains intact."

Read the full story.