Wisconsin early voting stronger in Democratic counties
MADISON, Wis. — About 1 in 3 absentee ballots cast in Wisconsin so far have come from the state's largest and most heavily Democratic counties, giving Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign a reason to be optimistic about its chances here, even as polls show a tight race with Republican Donald Trump.
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, in a conference call with reporters on Thursday, singled out Dane and Milwaukee counties as places around the country where early voting turnout was strong. And at a Friday rally, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged Democrats to vote as soon as they left the event in downtown Madison.
"With everybody voting, we win," Warren said.
Wisconsin voters do not register by party, so it's impossible to know whether more Republicans or Democrats are voting early. But high turnout in Madison and Milwaukee, the state's two largest and most Democratic cities, is essential for Clinton's campaign and that of Senate candidate Russ Feingold.
Numbers compiled by the state Elections Commission show that as of Friday, 70,740 absentee ballots have been returned statewide. Of those, 22,511 were from either Milwaukee or Dane counties, or about 31 percent of the total cast statewide. By comparison, in the heavily Republican suburban Milwaukee counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington, only 6,420 early votes have been cast.
http://www.startribune.com/wisconsin-early-voting-stronger-in-democratic-counties/396260581/