Wisconsin set voter turnout record in fall 2012 general election

MADISON -- Wisconsin set a voter turnout record in the fall 2012 general election. That's according to official results certified by the Government Accountability Board on Thursday, November 29th.

The GAB's Kevin Kennedy said the 3,071,434 votes cast for President was the highest number of votes cast for a single office in a statewide election in Wisconsin history.

"Wisconsin’s turnout rate of 70.14 percent of eligible voters casting ballots in the presidential race was the fourth-highest percentage since records have been kept going back to 1948," said Kennedy in a news release issued Thursday.

Voter turnout is calculated based on the highest number of votes cast for one office as a percentage of the estimated voting-age population, as determined by the state Department of Administration’s Demographic Services Center.

Other statistics, such as the number of absentee ballots cast and Election Day Registrants will not be available until December because municipal clerks are still reporting this information to the GAB.