Primary Day in Wisconsin

Connor talks with a voter in Altoona, Wisconsin.

On April 5, roughly 2.1 million voters in Wisconsin turned out to vote in the state's primary election. That afternoon, I spoke with individuals outside my local polling place in Altoona. They expressed several reasons for voting, but two stood out. Brett Shumacher said, “It’s my right to be able to vote." Kathy Hanrath said, “It’s my duty as a citizen to vote.” 

The weekend before the primary, the presidential candidates tried to garner additional support by holding rallies in my hometown. Among the thousands who turned out for the various rallies was Ricky Brockmiller. I asked him, “Did going to these rallies make you change your mind about who to vote for?” Brockmiller said, “Yes, my mind did change.” Terri Dulle also went to the rallies over the weekend, but her mind was not changed.

Everyone I interviewed said that people under 18 should be involved in the presidential races. This could include anything from handing out flyers to having the voting age lowered to 17. Dulle believes that teens should understand that these elections do affect them. Shumacher said that the voting age should be lowered to 17 (it's currently 18), because young people should be able to speak their minds, too. The number of teens who attended the rallies in Altoona indicates that today’s youth are definitely interested in politics.

A BIG TURNOUT

Turnout at the polls was relatively high on Primary Day in Wisconsin, with 46 percent of registered voters casting ballots. Texas Senator Ted Cruz won on the Republican side, with 48.2 percent of the vote. New York City businessman Donald Trump, who leads in the overall delegate count, came in second with 35.1 percent, and former Ohio Governor John Kasich placed third, with 14.1 percent.

The Democratic winner was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who earned 56.6 percent of the vote. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who leads in the delegate count, got 43.1 percent.

The presidential candidates have now moved on to New York to give speeches and hold rallies ahead of that state's April 19 primary elections.