(The Center Square) — The campaigning in is almost over.
Candidates in the two Wisconsin statewide races spent the weekend crisscrossing the state in an attempt to connect with voters planning to head to the polls Tuesday.
Early voting in most Wisconsin communities ended Friday. As of Friday afternoon, the Wisconsin Elections Commission reported more than 500,000 people cast an early ballot. That includes both mail-in and early in-person ballots.
The Elections Commission said, overall, early voting is up by more than 50%. In-person early voting is up by 102%.
Wisconsin Supreme Court race
The race with the most attention on the April ballot in Wisconsin’s race for the Supreme Court.
Judge Brad Schimel and Judge Susan Crawford are vying for the seat that’s being opened by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley’s retirement.
The race is already the most expensive judicial race in both Wisconsin and U.S. history. Wispolitics has reported that total spending is now north of $90 million and headed toward $100 million.
About $20 million of that spending can be tied to Elon Musk and his affiliated groups. That spending does not include the $2 million Musk handedout at a town hall meeting in Green Bay on Sunday. He gave million-dollar checks to two people at the rally because they signed his petition on activist judges.
The Schimel/Crawford race is just the first in a string of to-come races for Wisconsin’s high court. After this race, voters will see a Supreme Court race on their ballot each year until 2030.
State Superintendent Race
Voters in Wisconsin will also see two candidates for state superintendent on their ballots. Challenger Brittany Kinser is taking-on current State Superintendent Jill Underly.
Like the race for the supreme court, the race for state superintendent has seen record spending. WisPolitics last week said the two sides have spent more than $4.5 million on the race. That’s a record.
Questions over school choice, learning standards, and a focus on reading, writing, and math have defined the race.
Kinser last week picked up several endorsements, including from the Wisconsin State Journal. Underly hasn’t seen much public support in the race, with Gov. Tony Evers refusing to endorse either candidate this spring.
Voter ID Amendment
Wisconsin voters are being asked to decide if the state’s constitution needs to be updated with a voter ID amendment.
The question asks: “Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?”
Local Races
Voters across Wisconsin will also see a number of local races and local tax hike questions on their ballots.The spring election is the time when voters choose school board members, local judges, and local councilmen.
WisPolitics last week reported that there are 89 school district referendum questions on ballots across the state, worth $1.6 billion.
