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

Throughout the day Tuesday, Menomonee Falls Patch will hit the polls and report turnout numbers, lines, and complications at voting locations. Check back throughout the day 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 carl.engelking@patch.com, or cite them in the comment thread below.

9:52 p.m.: Menomonee Falls results are in, and they are big.

According to unofficial results from the clerk's office Falls voted like this:

Governor:

• Walker: 69.8%, 14,047 votes
• Barrett: 29.4 %, 5,929 votes

Lt. Governor:

• Kleefisch: 68.4%, 13,762
• Mahlon: 29.1%, 5,862

Turnout: 20,099 of 23,329 voters, or an 86 percent turnout

3:24 p.m.: The latest totals from the 3 p.m. voter counts in Menomonee Falls have turnout at 52 percent, or 12,221 voters, with just less than five hours left before polls close.

1:53 p.m.: Supporters of Gov. Scott Walker in Menomonee Falls are planning another rally on the footbridge over Highway 41/45 in the village. A similar demonstration was held Monday in the same location. More infomation about the rally

1:18 p.m.: Throughout the day, the Village Clerk gathers vote totals for all wards. Patch stopped into the village for the first update, which was submitted at 10 a.m. As of that time, 4,871 voters of the 23,330 registered in the village had cast a ballot. Just three hours into the election, turnout reached 20.8 percent in the village.

12:17 p.m.: Patch reader Tom Taubenheim shared this update via the Menomonee Falls Patch Facebook page:

• "Voted in ward 14 at 11:25. I was number 780. Waited in line 20 minutes...When I was there at 7am the first go around, the line was to the parking lot and the entire lot was full with cars parking along the edges. I saw the same thing at the polling place on Pilgrim and Good Hope. Really remarkable to see."

11:12 a.m.: Patch reader Kathy Kiepert voted earlier this morning, and provided an update via the Menomonee Falls Patch Twitter feed. It was an unprecedented wait for Kiepert at Holy Cross.

She wrote:

• "@MenomoneePatch At 10 am I was #540 for ward 13 and stood in a line for the first time in 20 years. There were two lines at Holy Cross."

9:41 a.m.: Your Patch editor, Carl Engelking, cast his ballot at the Falls library and was voter #472.

9:03 a.m.: Patch reader Amy O'Brien Corazzari shared this update via the Menomonee Falls Patch Facebook page after voting:

• "At Holy Cross (ward 13/14). Lines are 20 mins +."

8:29 a.m.: Patch reader Brenda Schweiger shared this update via the Menomonee Falls Patch Facebook page after voting:

• "Voted at the Falls library. Walked right through but was voter #295. Lots are getting out to vote today!"

8:24 a.m.: Michele Maas Pierce provided an update via the Menomonee Falls Patch Facebook page after voting at St. Paul's Church of Christ early this morning:

• "I voted at the church on Appleton & Roosevelt this morning...I'm usually between low 20's to low 30's but today there was a line & I was #55...I take that as a good sign that people are getting out there & voting..."

8:06 a.m.: Falls resident Nathan Pier checked in at Good Shepherd Catholic Church on foursquare:

• "Here to vote at poll opening and the line is out the door."

7:15 a.m.: The day is here, and voting has begun at a furious pace at the where voters in Wards 8,9, and 10 cast their ballots. 

Although the line wasn't out the door, it did snake around the corridor leading into the community room at the library. However, voters didn't stand in place long as the line was moving steadily. The library was fully staffed with poll workers.

For many voters, there was more a sense of relief than anything else after inserting their ballot into the counting machine, which more than 100 had already done shortly after polls opened.

"It's just glad that it's over. I'm very happy to get this done. What a relief," said Falls resident Richard Held. "It's a good idea to just get out here early and get it done."

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 library, supporters of Gov. Scott Walker are turning out stong early. Of the 15 voters interviewed Tuesday morning, 12 cast their ballot for Walker.

What You Need to Know

Republican Gov. Walker faces recall after opponents turned in hundreds of thousands of signatures in an effort to boot him from office. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators also face recall challenges.

Races on the ballot Tuesday are:

Governor: Scott Walker, Tom Barrett and Hari Trivedi

Lt. Governor: Rebecca Kleefisch and Mahlon Mitchell 

Registered voters can find information about their polling place and the races on the ballot at the Wisconsin Voter Public Access website. To see the details, enter your name and birthdate in the fieds provided and then click your name to get to the voter information page.

The state Government Accountability Board is projecting voter turnout of between 60 and 65 percent, but Director Kevin Kennedy said turnout is hard to predict because the state has never had an election like this before. 

Polling locations:

The polls for all wards open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

The Menomonee Falls has several polling locations throughout the village. Be sure to check where you are voting under the .

Here are the polling locations in the village:

• Wards 1 & 2: , W180N7863 Town Hall Rd.
• Wards 3, 4 & 5: , N88W17658 Christman Rd.  
• Wards 6 & 7: , N89W16856 Appleton Ave.
• Wards 8, 9 & 10: , W156N8436 Pilgrim Rd.
• Wards 11 & 12: Lilly Road Fire Station, W140N7501 Lilly Rd.
• Wards 13 & 14: , W156N8131 Pilgrim Rd.
• Wards 15 & 16: , W156N7149 Pilgrim Rd.
• Wards 17, 18 & 19: , N56W16300 Silver Spring Dr.
• Ward 20: , W156N5429 Bette Dr.
• Wards 21, 22 and 23: , W220N6588 Town Line Rd.

If you have any questions regarding voting locations or regulations, please call Village Janice Moyer at (262) 532-4212 or you can contact her by email.

FAQs about Tuesday's election

The Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, provided a list of answers to frequently asked questions about voting in Wisconsin. Here are some of the most important things to know.

Voter photo ID: The law is currently on hold as two lower court decisions stopping voter photo ID are being appealed. 

Check your registration – Elections officials urge voters to use the state's Voter Public Access website to make sure that they are registered at their current address.  Additionally, VPA will identify the races voters are eligible to vote in, and will tell voters whether they are eligible to vote within a Senate District that has a recall election. Voters who are unsure about whether they are eligible to vote in a state Senate recall primary or election should contact their municipal clerk’s office directly. If you have not registered to vote yet or you have a problem with your registration, contact your local municipal clerk’s office to check your options. You can register at the polling place on Election Day.

Know what proof of residence to bring: If you are already registered to vote, you will only need to state your name and address to receive a ballot, and are not required to provide any additional documentation. After stating your name, you will need to sign the poll list.

If you are registering at the polling place, make sure you have proof of residence and your Wisconsin driver’s license number. If you do not have a Wisconsin driver’s license, you can use the number from your Wisconsin ID card, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Proof of residence can be established with a current lease, recent utility bill or other official document issued by a unit of government with the voter’s name and current address on it. A college photo ID is also acceptable if the institution has provided the polling place with a list of students who live in its housing and if the housing list includes citizenship information. 

Avoid bringing undue attention or risk causing a disturbance: The state also is urging voters not to wear campaign paraphernalia such as campaign/candidate buttons, shirts, hats, etc. inside the polling place. Those who wear campaign paraphernalia may be asked to cover it up or leave.