After months of campaigning, Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick will face off in the state Supreme Court election Tuesday.
According to Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy, however, voter turnout will likely only be moderate.
""For past contested Supreme Court races, voters came out to vote at a rate of 20 percent, and we expect a 20 percent turnout this coming Tuesday,"" he said in a statement.
Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, agreed with Kennedy when he said turnout in the spring elections has been disappointing for years.
""A very small minority of voters decide some pretty important elections,"" he said. ""They decide who sits in some pretty important offices, and the majority of voters don't have a say.""
Heather Colburn, campaign manager for Abrahamson, encouraged students to get out and vote, saying they have a chance to make an even bigger difference by standing up and being heard.
In 2007 and 2008, special interest hijacking took hold of the state Supreme Court races, with millions of dollars spent and still only a 15 to 20 percent voter turnout, according to McCabe.
""They probably turn off quite a few voters, and people stay home because they're sick of the politics and negative advertising,"" he said. ""I just think people haven't seen contests that have really captured their imagination.""
McCabe emphasized the need for a vigorous competition of ideas and more than one candidate who has the ability to get the message out there.
""I think that screams out for the need of significant reform for the way we hold elections in Supreme Court,"" he said. ""I think the legislature needs to fix what is an obvious broken system.""
