In pivotal election, voter turnout in Madison and Dane County slightly lagged 2020

Voter turnout in Madison and Dane County Tuesday slightly lagged that of the 2020 presidential election, according to unofficial results.

In Dane County, 367,461 votes — or 76.3% of the county's estimated voting-age population — were counted as of Wednesday morning, with 100% of precincts reporting.

In 2020, when the county's population was a bit lower, close to 345,604 votes were cast in the presidential election in the county — about 80% of the county's then-voting-age population. Four years earlier, in 2016, around 311,000 were cast. Since the 2020 elections, Dane County has gained about 38,000 people, according to Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell.

In Madison, 174,132 votes had been counted as of early Wednesday, representing 71.1% of Madison's estimated voting-age population. In 2020, 161,836 votes were counted in Madison, representing 75% of the city's then-voting-age population.

Statewide, about 3,393,499 ballots were counted as of Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press, representing about 71.9% of the voting-age population. That's about the same as 2020, when turnout statewide was 72.9%

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