WEBVTT MIKE: TUESDAY IS A DAY FOR DIEHARDS, POLITICAL DIEHARDS THAT IS. IT’S PRIMARY ELECTION DAY IN WISCONSIN, A TIME TO NARROW THE FIELD OF CANDIDATES IN CONTESTED ELECTIONS TO JUST TWO. BUT FOR MOST PEOPLE, IT WILL JUST BE A TYPICAL TUESDAY. THEY WON’T BE STOPPING AT THEIR LOCAL POLLING PLACE TO CAST A BALLOT. THERE’S NO STATEWIDE PRIMARY THIS YEAR TO BOOST TURNOUT. THERE ARE JUST TWO CANDIDATES FOR SUPREME COURT. BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT AND COMPETITIVE LOCAL CONTESTS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN GREEN BAY, THERE ARE EIGHT CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR. AND IN MADISON, SIX CANDIDATES ARE RUNNING FOR MAYOR, INCLUDING THE INCUMBENT, PAUL SOGLIN, WHO HAS SERVED AS THE CITY’S 51ST, 54TH, AND 57TH MAYOR. SOGLIN RAN UNSUCCESSFULLY FOR GOVERNOR LAST YEAR. HE HAD INITIALLY DECIDED NOT TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION, BUT LATER CHANGED HIS MIND. HE FACES A DIVERSE GROUP OF CHALLENGERS, ALL OF WHOM ARE CONSIDERABLY YOUNGER THAN THE 73 -- 73-YEAR-OLD INCUMBENT. ON THE SURFACE, THERE SEEMS TO BE A FAIR AMOUNT OF INTEREST IN THE RACE. THE FIRST CANDIDATE FORUM SPONSORED BY THE CAPITAL TIMES, THROUGH 640 PEOPLE. BUT EVEN IN MADISON, WHERE THEY SUPPOSEDLY EAT, SLEEP AND BREATH POLITICS, NO MORE THAN ABOUT ONE IN FOUR REGISTERED VOTERS TURNS OUT FOR LOCAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS. THE DIEHARDS. AND SOMETIMES IT’S WORSE. IN 2015, THE FEBRUARY MAYORAL PRIMARY DREW JUST 12 PERCENT OF MADISON’S ELIGIBLE VOTERS. EVEN THE APRIL GENERAL ELECTION, DREW FEWER THAN 30 PERCENT. CONTRAST THAT TO LAST NOVEMBER’S ELECTION, WHEN THERE WERE BIG RACES FOR GOVERNOR AND U.S. SENATE. MADISON SET A RECORD FOR TURNOUT, A STUNNING 93 PERCENT OF REGISTERED VOTERS CASTING A BALLOT. YES, IT’S AN APPLES AND ORANGES COMPARISON, WE GET THAT, BUT ONE COULD ARGUE THAT LOCAL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL BOARD, HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON THE DAILY LIVES OF CITIZENS THAN STATEWIDE OR EVEN NATIONAL CONTESTS. MAYBE THIS YEAR TURNOUT WILL B DIFFERENT. BUT HISTORY TELLS US WE SHOULDN’T HOLD OUR BREATH. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. I’M MIKE GOUSHA. I’LL SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT WEEK