Wisconsin
Record-breaking ballots cast in Wisconsin, only one week into in-person absentee voting
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – In-person absentee voting began on Tuesday the 22nd, and one week later, over 405,000 in-person absentee ballots have been reported.
“It’s been busy, we’ve been setting records on early voting here and around the country too,” said Dane County Clerk, Scott McDonell.
Across the United States, this year has been record-breaking for early voting. And, there is still another week until Election Day.
Early voting continues until Sunday, but McDonell says early voting hours differ by community so be sure to check when they are open before going to vote.
“For me, early voting is probably the best way to vote, you know, who knows what’s going to happen on Election Day, you could be sick, it could be pouring rain,” McDonnell explained. “You know that it’s received, you don’t have to worry about the mail being delayed, and then your witness is the clerk, so you know that part of it was handled correctly, so I think that’s part of why we’re seeing record numbers.”
McDonell also says lines on Election Day may be shorter due to the increase of people voting early, and lines are already getting shorter after the first few days.
Jade Braxton in Fitchburg voted Tuesday and said it only took her five to ten minutes to register and vote.
“This was my first time early voting, I always vote the day of, I’m doing this forever and ever now, this is great,” explained Braxton.
McDonell encourages everyone to have a plan to vote. He says that on Election Day, a lot can happen which could hinder your opportunity to vote on Election Day.
“This is an election that you’re vote is definitely going to matter, I know some people don’t think it’s going to matter, well you’re in a swing state, so it’s going to matter,” explained McDonnel.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2024 WMTV. All rights reserved.
The Wisconsin Badgers were extremely well represented at the most recent UA Next Camp.
In total, seven future Badgers competed at the May 24 UA Next Camp in Chicago, IL.
Shockingly, two of the seven recruits in attendance aren’t Wisconsin natives. Knowing how well represented Luke Fickell’s class of 2027 is with in-state talent, it was great to see the likes of quarterback Jack Sorgi (Indiana) and defensive lineman David Hill (Illinois) make the trip to Chicago.
The complete list of Wisconsin players who were at the camp can be found below:
- QB Jack Sorgi
- EDGE Isaac Miller
- IOL Hunter and Reece Mallinger
- DL David Hill
- OT Cole Reiter
- OT Ethan McIntosh
Of those seven, Reiter is the team’s highest-ranked recruit.
Notable absences included:
- Four-star running back Kingston Allen
- Four-star tight end Korz Loken
Nonetheless, Wisconsin received a ton of praise from Billy Tucker, the director of the UA All-America game.
Currently, they still have the No. 17-ranked class of 2027, according to 247Sports.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.
(WLUK) — Warm, sunny weather is expected to continue in Northeast Wisconsin’s forecast, but small storm chances can still pop-up as summerlike conditions settle in.
Weather conditions can change quickly this time of year, with summer heat fueling thunderstorms. As temperatures rise, warm and humid air lifts into the atmosphere, eventually cooling and condensing into clouds. That process continues throughout the day, allowing clouds to form thunderstorms.
Often isolated, these storms are often called “pop up storms” because they can form quickly. Unlike larger storm systems typically triggered by fronts or low-pressure systems, pop-up storms are fueled by heat and humidity. The hotter and muggier it is, the more energy is available for storms to develop.
However, not every hot summer day ends up turning stormy, but when heat and humidity are high enough, summer afternoons can quickly shift into thunderstorms.
A forecasts can indicate when conditions are favorable for thunderstorms, but pinpointing the exact location a pop-up storm will form is difficult because of how small and fast they develop.
This leads to sharp differences in the weather over short distances, meaning one neighborhood sees a downpour while another neighborhood just a few miles away stay dry.
The extended forecast often show a scattered storm chance rather than widespread rain to account for the possibility of pop-up storms.
MPS staff protest budget cuts, layoffs and for cost-of-living raises
Milwaukee Public School staff protest budget cuts, layoffs and for cost-of-living raises
Wisconsin teacher unions have seen the nation’s largest drop in strength since 2012, according to a new study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
The Fordham Institute, a conservative-leaning education think tank, ranked Wisconsin 36th among 50 states and the District of Columbia for teacher union strength, falling 18 spots from its previous 2012 study. The rankings factored in union resources and membership, involvement in politics, the state’s labor and bargaining policies, policy wins and losses, and the perceived influence of teacher unions in the state.
The report said teacher unions across the nation are weaker than they were over a decade ago, with the percentage of teachers who are union members declining in all but four states.
In Wisconsin, membership declined from 98% in 2012 to 45% in 2025, a nearly 54 percentage point decrease and the largest drop in membership nationwide. The state ranked 43rd overall for union resources and membership compared to 13th in 2012.
The report attributed the decline in membership to Act 10, the state’s 2011 law signed by then-Gov. Scott Walker that essentially ended collective bargaining rights for public employee unions in Wisconsin.
In an email, Fordham Institute researcher Meredith Coffey said most of the data in the 2012 study predated the law, and it’s unlikely the initial report fully captured the effects of Act 10. She said the change in Wisconsin’s overall rank understates the impact of the law.
“In other words, the estimated change in rank between 2012 and today is arguably conservative,” Coffey said.
The study also found Wisconsin teacher unions’ financial resources are limited compared with unions in other states. After adjusting for cost-of-living differences, Wisconsin unions have the seventh-lowest annual revenues per teacher.
Wisconsin also ranked 44th for its labor and bargaining policies. Public-sector unions are limited to negotiating for raises capped at the rate of inflation under Act 10.
The report said just five states – Idaho, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia – have enhanced collective bargaining rights since 2012.
Wisconsin teacher unions ranked 25th for their political involvement, specifically in elections and campaigns. In 2020 and 2022, the Fordham Institute found, the state’s teacher unions sponsored the second-highest number of state and local political ads in the nation.
About 70% of Wisconsin candidates endorsed by state-level teachers unions won their elections in 2024, according to the data.
The state’s teacher unions additionally ranked 26th in policy wins and losses, which the Fordham Institute measured by analyzing the extent to which Wisconsin policies align with union priorities.
In perceived influence, the organization ranked Wisconsin’s teacher unions 24th. Researchers said they measured this through a survey of people with knowledge of education policymaking in each state, including lawmakers, journalists, state education administrators and members of teacher unions, among others.
Overall, the study found the strongest unions are concentrated in Democrat-led, more affluent states, while the weakest are concentrated in Republican-led, poorer states.
The report said the strongest teacher unions are in Vermont, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Hawaii. The weakest teacher unions are in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina and Mississippi.
Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @_kaylahuynh.
Kayla Huynh‘s reporting is supported by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association.
-
Montana23 seconds agoA battle over dark money is brewing in Hawaii and Montana
-
Nebraska6 minutes agoNebraska climate officials are keeping an eye on El Niño, and its potential impact on the Midwest
-
Nevada12 minutes agoCity of Reno, RPD leaders mourn Detective
-
New Hampshire18 minutes agoReptile Day at Charmingfare Farm
-
New Jersey24 minutes agoProposed tax credit could help pet owners with everyday expenses, vet bills in New Jersey
-
New Mexico30 minutes agoIsolated storms in eastern areas, but warmer weather
-
North Dakota42 minutes agoToday in History, 1937: Records reveal purchase of North Dakota land by William Rockefeller
-
Ohio48 minutes agoAfter months of traffic headaches, Ohio, Ontario bridges in and out of Chicago to finally reopen
