Politics & Government

Wisconsin Recall 2012: More Than 55% of Sussex Voters Hit the Polls

Stay up to date with how the Wisconsin recall race is unfolding in Sussex by contributing and following along with our continuously updated coverage.

Throughout the day Tuesday, Sussex Patch will hit the polls and report turnout numbers, lines, and complications as voting continues throughout the day. Check back regularly to see how Wisconsin's historic recall election is playing out locally.

If you have any updates or observations to report while you were out voting, send them to andy.ambrosius@patch.com, or cite them in the comment thread below.

3:45 p.m.:

More than 55 percent of Sussex voters have turned up to the on Tuesday to cast their ballot thus far. With four more hours of voting, and an after-work voting boom still looming, the numbers could skyrocket even further.

Find out what's happening in Sussexwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sussex Village Clerk Sue Freiheit says she's aware of more than 6,400 registered voters in Sussex, and as of 3:45 p.m., more than 3,500 of them already showed up. However, that's still about 1,000 less votes than the total number cast between Barrett and Walker in 2010.

Nearly 4,650 Sussex voters cast a ballot during the inital election two years ago between the two candidates, with almost 75 percent of those votes going to Walker. And by the way residents are talking while leaving the polling location, and by the way they have been donating, Walker might snag just as many votes this time.

Find out what's happening in Sussexwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to , Sussex residents  to the incumbent Republican governor than they did to the Milwaukee mayor.

"I support what Walker has been doing in this state," said a Sussex man. "I voted for him last time, and I did again today."

However, popular opinion from fellow residents hasn't discouraged one Sussex woman from heading to the polls and casting her ballot. She said she voted for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett because she trusts him more than Walker.

"Tom Barrett is an honest man, and I believe him more than I believe in Walker," she said.

12:45 p.m.:

A steady stream of voters is filing in and out of the Sussex Armory National Guard to cast their votes, and thus far, outrageous amounts of people have hit the polls.

More than 1,000 additional Sussex voters have hit the polls compared to the . The official total at this time is more than 1,700 ballots cast. And according to Sussex Village Clerk Sue Freiheit, these numbers are certainly out of the ordinary.

“You can tell by the numbers – they’re really up there,” Freiheit said. “We didn’t know what to expect, but Waukesha County suggested we should plan to have ballots for a possible 125 percent turnout, so we did.”

Kasey Fluet, Sussex’s assistant development director, was helping Freiheit register voters as they walked in the door. She said the crowd is certainly keeping poll workers busy.

“I’d say we’ve easily registered 150 new voters just today,” Fluet said. “We have about 6,500 registered voters, and that’s just the number for the Village of Sussex.”

The polls may be busy, but according to a few Sussex residents, the choice is clear. Patch stopped three voters on their way out of the Armory and asked who voted for. All three said they voted for Scott Walker.

“I voted for Scott Walker,” said one Sussex woman. “I’m a republican, and I think Tom Barrett is a – you fill in the blank.”

“I voted for Walker,” said another woman exiting the Amory. “I feel like I’m a Republican, and Republicans fend for themselves. I also thought Walker took care of the deficit, so that’s why.”

Another Sussex man said he voted for Walker because he thinks the governor is doing the right thing. In addition, he voted for Walker during the initial election.

Walker Recall: What You Need to Know Before Casting a Ballot. 

7:45 a.m.:

The day is here, and voting has begun at a furious pace at the armory where voters in all wards throughout Sussex cast their ballots. 

Voters filed in and out steadily, but the poll workers were staffed in full force for the morning rush and voters were in and out in minutes.

By 8 a.m., over 500 voters had already cast their ballots.

"This lasted way too long. Like many voters I'm a bit ambivalent that we even had to do this, but I always vote early to get it out of the way," said Sussex resident Mike Hartman. "It looks like there's going to be a heck of a turnout today, and that's a good thing."

Turnout is going to be key in this election for both sides, and early indications seem to uphold the of turnout hovering between 60 and 65 percent.

In a mini poll conducted outside the armory, 7 of 10 voters interviewed had cast a ballot for Gov. Scott Walker.


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