Last year’s Supreme Court election was the biggest judicial race in American history. This year’s has largely flown under the radar, and expected turnout today reflects that.
Wisconsin voters are at the polls in a low-key Supreme Court race that is expected to draw far fewer participants than last year’s record-breaking contest, reflecting a return to more typical spring election turnout.
Conservative Court of Appeals Judge Maria Lazar faces liberal Court of Appeals Judge Chris Taylor for a 10-year term on the state’s highest court. The contest will not shift the current 4-3 liberal majority, as a Taylor victory would widen it to 5-2. Early voting has lagged significantly behind the intense 2025 race.
State elections officials project overall turnout in the 30-40% range of eligible voters, or possibly lower, with Election Day participation determining the final figure. Early in-person and absentee ballots through early April were down nearly 60% from comparable periods last year, when nearly 700,000 early votes were cast amid massive national attention and more than $100 million in spending. This year’s early totals hovered around 280,000 to 324,000 ballots.
The 2025 race, which pitted Republican-backed Brad Schimel against Democrat-backed Susan Crawford, shattered records with roughly 51% turnout — the highest ever for a non-presidential spring election. That contest drew heavy outside investment and became a proxy for broader national fights.
In contrast, the 2026 matchup has featured a fraction of that spending and far less public interest, with many voters remaining undecided close to Election Day.
The race offers a snapshot of partisan energy heading into the 2026 midterms, when control of the governor’s office, Legislature and congressional seats will be at stake. Polls have shown Taylor with a lead among likely voters, but high undecided numbers leave room for surprises if conservative voters turn out strongly today.
Results are expected to begin rolling in after polls close at 8:00 tonight.
