Midterm Voters Came Within One Percentage Point of Breaking Wisconsin’s Turnout Record

History was made in a handful of other battlegrounds and several Badger State counties. Find out where & what that means for the future.

60% of eligible Wisconsin voters exercised their right during the 2022 election, falling just shy of the record (61.4%) set in 2018.

Unofficial counts from the Associated Press show the most votes in Wisconsin’s 2022 midterm elections were cast in the US Senate race, where Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was elected to a third term over Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes by a one-percent margin (about 26,000 votes.)

While turnout decreased by 47,000 voters from 2018 to 2022 in the state’s largest county, Milwaukee, the next biggest, Dane and Waukesha, saw slight increases (5,700 and 3,000 voters, respectively.)

The midterms also reinforced Wisconsin’s status as a purple “battleground” state: Dane and Milwaukee counties grew more blue (voting for Evers by a margin seven points higher than in 2018), while rural counties grew more red.

Overall, the 2022 election was record-breaking in several other battleground states, including Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Hawaii, Arkansas, South Dakota, Maine, and New Hampshire voters also set turnout records.

What Does This Mean for 2023?

Voters are paying attention and the record-shattering 2020 election turnout was no accident.