“We have dozens of field staff working to get resources to polling locations during rush hour,” officials said in a statement. “We apologize to Milwaukeeans but proud to see the enthusiasm and turnout.”

Election officials in Wisconsin are expecting more than two million people to vote in the state Supreme Court election, an extremely strong turnout in an off-year race that has cost $90 million and captured the attention of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Even though polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern, declaring a winner will likely stretch into Wednesday morning.

True battleground Wisconsin makes every vote a hard-fought win

There is a belt from Milwaukee to Madison in the southeastern part of the state that is strongly Democratic and liberal. There is a suburban ring around Milwaukee, near the Brookfield area, that has been traditionally conservative Republican territory. There are so-called river counties in the southwest part of the state that tend to be purple and up for grabs. In the central northern part of the state, there is a lot of rural farm area, which is staunchly Republican. 

A robust rural turnout in places Trump dominated in 2024 will be key for Schimel, who started the race as the underdog. Trump has gone all-in on Schimel, giving him his full endorsement. Elon Musk has also waded into the race, spending millions on Schimel and creating a strong ground game that he claims has knocked on more than 1 million doors.

CANDIDATES IN WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RACE MAKE FINAL PITCH TO VOTERS

Crawford, who received a similar endorsement from former President Barack Obama, needs voters in Democrat-heavy Madison and Milwaukee to show up for her. 

She also needs a strong youth turnout. 

In 2023’s state Supreme Court election, Wisconsin’s young voters voted at a higher rate than ever recorded, Howard Schweber, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the Washington Examiner. 

“I’m not shocked that we might see that record broken again,” he added. “It’s a reflection of a lot of things – the nationalization of the election, the enormous flow of money, the enormous number of ads, the genuine stakes. I do like to think that there is also something about the Wisconsin culture of civic engagement and getting out there and having your voice heard.”

At stake in the race is not only a seat on the state Supreme Court but also an opportunity to directly affect the national political landscape that could tip the balance of power in Congress. 

Liberals currently hold a 4-3 advantage on the court. Tuesday’s election puts the ideological balance in play. 

The town of Suamico saw a little under 1,300 total in-person voters and just over 2,100 early and absentee votes cast, bringing the total votes to 3,400 before noon, Decision Desk data analyst Michael Pruser posted on X.

“In the 2023 WI Supreme Court race, the total turnout from Suamico was 4,304, and it appears that this year’s vote is tracking to finish closer to 6,000, an increase of roughly 40%,” he said.

Buffalo and Wood counties saw similar increases, Pruser posted, calling voter turnout this year in the Badger State “a blowout.”

Early voting turnout in the Badger State has surpassed 600,000 votes and is on track to blow through the 2 million mark once all the votes are tallied, election officials said. 

Republicans in Wisconsin said they felt confident headed into Tuesday’s race. 

Peter Church, the GOP chairman in Adams County, a rural county in the northern part of the state, said Schimel’s campaign is in “a good position.”  

“I’m not hearing people talk about abortion at all. And I’m not hearing them talk about the tariff issue,” Church said. “These people are by and large red voters. And though the Supreme Court race is nonpartisan, they see that the red side is Brad Schimel.”

Unlike in Dane County, where four voters in Madison told the Washington Examiner they took a long lunch in order to vote for Crawford. 

Upset by the politicization of the court, Annemarie Sonaught said she used her vote not only because she believed in Crawford but also in protest of Trump and Musk’s involvement in the election. 

“Judge Schimel might have been bought but I won’t be,” she said. 

Anna Covington told the Washington Examiner said she was prepared to call in sick to vote.

“This is probably the most important election I have ever voted in,” she said, adding that reproductive rights, which the state Supreme Court will soon take up, was the top reason she voted for Crawford.