Photo by David Maack
A long line of voters wait in front of the Mount Pleasant-Caledonia Park polling place Tuesday.
Voters wait at Lutheran Church of the Resurrectino
Pollworkers prepare for the day.
At about 10 a.m., 1,318 of the 3,405 registered voters had cast their ballot at St. Andrew Lutheran Church.
File photo

Thousands of people had already cast their ballot by noon on Election Day 2016 in Racine County.

Here’s how the day broke down:

RACINE

Voter traffic at city locations was steady throughout the morning and without issues.

At the Caesar Chavez Community Center, residents by 1 p.m. were casting votes at a rate of almost 50 percent. Residents from three wards is two districts use that locations; around 3,000 total registered voters.

Numbers on voting machines reflected 1,480 ballots cast by 1 p.m.

A group of students from YES were seen walking around the neighborhood near the community center canvassing residents to get to the polls.

They said response has been positive and that many neighbors are already sporting their “I voted” stickers.

CALEDONIA

But even before the election, a number had voted absentee.

Caledonia was no exception as 37 percent of their 17,005 registered voters had already been to the polls. And at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, voters lined up out the door and waited for about an hour to vote. By about 10 a.m., a person taking exit polls there said that of the people who had responded to his question about half had voted for Hillary Clinton and half had voted for Donald Trump for president.

Poll workers at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection on Ohio Street run a tight ship no matter the election, and their efficiency is coming in especially handy today.

Citizens were lined up shortly before 7 a.m. and moved briskly through the church to the voting booth. Several residents were overheard talking about fast they were in and out.
Out front, Mary Beth and Bill were collecting signatures to overturn Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to contribute to political campaigns.
“We’re trying to get money out of politics, which, I think, most people support,” Mary Beth said.
After just an hour of setting up their table, the duo had 60 signatures supporting the measure.

MOUNT PLEASANT

At Messiah Lutheran on Durand Avenue in Mount Pleasant, there were approximately 65 people in line when the doors opened at 7 a.m.
“I had around 60 people in front of me and a handful lined up behind me,” village resident Scott Oesau said. “The line moved quickly, and I was on my way to work by 7:30.”

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Denise Lockwood has an extensive background in traditional and non-traditional media. She has written for Patch.com, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine and the Kenosha News.