Marathon County Sees Voter Turnout at 95%

Thursday, November 7th, 2024 -- 8:01 AM

(Heather Poltrock, WSAW) Hours. Historic. Unprecedented.

According to Heather Poltrock with WSAW, three words that summarize Election Day 2024 in central Wisconsin and all across the country. Clerks had predicted record voter turnout, but certainly no expected hours-long lines.

Many stood in the rain that whole time on Tuesday. Marathon County Clerk Kim Trueblood said as of 8:50 a.m. Wednesday morning, the posted turnout was 95.85%.

“However, that number is based on the number of registered voters on Friday afternoon. There were thousands of new voter registrations yesterday, so that number will change as we collect that information,” Trueblood explained by email.

She said the 2020 Presidential turnout in Marathon County was 91.27%. Those lines were seen firsthand by NewsChannel 7 reporters who witnessed orderly lines out the door and around the building at the National Guard Armory and St. Mark’s Church in Wausau.

Wausau City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernade said she expected voters to still be in line at 10 p.m. In Weston, a crossing guard was helping voters get across Camp Phillps Road at E. Bernad Avenue around 5 p.m.

Voters hoping to get into the village’s parking lot were backed up two blocks to Sternberg Avenue. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. was allowed to continue with the voting process. At St. Mark’s the final voter cast a ballot at 10:04 p.m.

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