Author: Sam Buisman

Madisonians take to the polls for Wisconsin's partisan primary today to decide hotly contested left-wing races amidst a global pandemic. 

Polls opened at 7:00 A.M this morning for the statewide partisan primary, in which candidates for four seats across Madison are duking it out to run as a Democrat for that seat in November. Accounting for the continuing danger of COVID-19, poll workers donned masks, set up plexiglass barriers and are encouraging social distancing at polling locations to keep voters safe as they cast their ballots. 

Perhaps the closest-watched contest in Madison this election is the race for the 26th State Senate Seat, which covers almost all of the UW-Madison campus and will have no Republican challenger in the fall. The race has become a test of progressive bona-fides between its candidates, with front-runners Nada Elmikashfi and Kelda Roys each trying to outflank the other on the left. 

The remaining three seats contested by Democrats, the 48th and 76th Assembly seats and 16th Senate seat, all feature an uncontested Republican primary. 

Voters must be registered to vote and bring a valid photo ID to their polling place to be issued a ballot. For UW-Madison students, your WisCard does not count as a valid form of photo ID. 

Unregistered voters can register at their polling place if they bring along a valid proof of residence, such as a recent utility bill sent to your current address. 

While poll workers are required to wear masks, voters are recommended but not required to do so. 

Poll lines will stay open until 8:00 P.M. tonight, and when results are published, we will report them here on WSUM.