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Did Dane County, Wisconsin have 88% voter turnout in 2022, tied with the 2018 midterms?

By Hope Karnopp
NO

Dane County saw 80.3% turnout in the 2022 midterm election, according to unofficial results last updated at 5:12 a.m. on Nov. 9. 

Among 376,531 voters, 302,459 ballots were cast. All 269 precincts in Dane County have now reported results.

Due to population growth, the number of votes cast in the 2018 midterm election was lower than in 2022 — but the turnout was higher. The 2018 midterm election in Dane County saw 296,108 votes cast, an 88% turnout.

In the 2020 presidential election, turnout in Dane County was even higher: 89.3%. Turnout is generally higher in presidential election years than in the midterms.

Around noon on Election Day, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell tweeted that the county was "projecting roughly an 85% voter turnout."

An hour before polls closed in Wisconsin, McDonell tweeted an update that turnout was "trending high, possibly 90% in some places."

But countywide, the unofficial results show turnout was below earlier estimates.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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