'God wants us to get involved:' Milwaukee pastors urge turnout at the polls for primary Tuesday

MADISON -- During the primary election in Wisconsin Tuesday, Feb. 18, voters will make their picks in the Wisconsin Supreme Court and local races -- but not the presidential primary. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Three people are vying for seats on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, while there are also races for Milwaukee county executive, Milwaukee mayor, and aldermen, as well as races in towns across the state.

Neil Albrecht

The two candidates with the most votes in each race move on.

"This is just the primary for these very high-profile offices that certainly impact the lives of every person in the city," said Neil Albrecht with the Milwaukee Election Commission.

Albrecht predicted a turnout of about 20% to 30% Tuesday -- roughly 60,000 to 75,000 voters in Milwaukee, based on comparing 2020's early voting with 2016.

"We had about 500 more early voters in the City of Milwaukee," said Albrecht. "We kind of use that as a barometer to gauge what to expect in terms of turnout. That would be an indicator that we are going to see strong, steady turnout for tomorrow."

Milwaukee pastors on Monday, Feb. 17 urged a big turnout through an effort called, "Souls to the Polls."

"I believe that God wants us to get involved in the community," said Mose Fuller, pastor at St. Timothy Community Baptist Church. "Why is that? Because he's involved in the community. He's concerned about people, and so, we need to be concerned about people, and the most basic thing we can do is go to the ballot box, and make a difference."

They're looking to not have a repeat of 2016, when 41,000 fewer people voted in the fall general election as compared with 2012.

Your vote Tuesday will whittle the list for the general election on April 7.