Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Hard numbers are still being calculated countywide, but there is no question, according to officials, that voter turnout for Tuesday’s midterm election was unusually high.
The county also had a high number of new voters who registered Tuesday.
According to Shawano County Clerk Rosemary Rueckert, between 800 and 1,000 voter registrations were filled out Tuesday, though that might include some name changes, address changes and new residents, she said.
“We did have a lot of young people voting for the first time,” Rueckert said.
Rueckert said about 2,000 more people voted in the governor’s race Tuesday than voted in the governor’s race in 2010. A total of 16,816 votes were cast for governor Tuesday.
However, Rueckert said, 506 people who cast ballots for Shawano County sheriff Tuesday did not cast any votes in the governor’s race.
The Board of Canvass will meet Thursday to certify the election results, but at this point, Rueckert estimated the countywide turnout at 67 percent of registered voters.
The city of Shawano reported 73 percent turnout, just shy of the 2012 presidential election when turnout was 76 percent.
The last midterm in 2010, which also included the governor’s race, brought out 52 percent of registered voters in the city.
The city also saw a high number of new voters registering for the first time, but an exact number was not available Wednesday.
The Associated Press was reporting Wednesday that figures from the Government Accountability Board put statewide turnout Tuesday at 54.5 percent of voting-age adults. However, that number could include adults who have not registered.
According to the GAB, the previous high for midterm election was 52.4 percent of voting-age adults in 1962.
Things went relatively smoothly Tuesday given the high turnout and the complication of a write-in candidate for sheriff.
Rueckert said one municipality ran short of ballots for a time.
Also, the village of Bonduel didn’t file its results with the county until 12:40 a.m. Wednesday; the last municipality to report.
Rueckert said election officials there were scrupulously analyzing write-in ballots in the sheriff’s race — including some that were misspelled or included only the candidate’s first name — to ensure they were valid.
The final vote tally was still waiting on results from Bonduel when the Leader went to press Tuesday night.
Shawano Police Officer Adam Bieber, the Republican candidate, easily won the sheriff’s election over Independent challenger Lucas Christenson and incumbent Randy Wright, who waged a write-in campaign.
Unofficial numbers reported Wednesday and being certified Thursday by the Board of Canvass were:
Bieber - 9,738
Wright - 5,199
Christenson - 1,373
The heavy pace of voter turnout and the write-in campaign made for a long and hectic day for poll workers.
“I want to thank each and every election worker, inspector and clerk,” Rueckert said. “They did an outstanding job and followed the rules as best they could.”