While Kamala Harris and Tim Walz did not secure the nationwide victory that the Democratic Party of Dane County aimed for, the hard work that residents of Dane County put into this election was evident in the impressive voter turnout and the significant margins by which Democratic candidates won in the county.
“Voter turnout in Dane County reached 92.2%, nearly 3% higher than it was in 2020. In Wisconsin overall, turnout only increased by 1.3%, and turnout was slightly down in most other states,” said Alexia Sabor, Chair of the Democratic Party of Dane County. “Harris received 74.9% of the vote in the county, and more than 13,000 additional ballots were cast in her favor than for Joe Biden in 2020. The Dane Dems also played a crucial role in the re-election of Tammy Baldwin and Representative Mark Pocan, as well as in several State Assembly and State Senate victories. We were the only county in Wisconsin where the majority voted against the proposed constitutional amendment introduced by the Republican legislature to unnecessarily instill fear among voters.”
Dane Dems helps run and fund a network of 23 grassroots activist teams throughout the county that organize residents to canvass and talk to their neighbors about voting for candidates and ballot measures. Additionally, Dane Dems and the neighborhood teams opened 12 field offices between early August and early September, seven of which were located outside of Madison, to ensure a Democratic presence across the county.
The election results in Dane County and Wisconsin reflect the sustained efforts of thousands of volunteers who devoted countless hours to direct voter engagement. Dane Dems is grateful for the numerous Dane County party and neighborhood team volunteers, the staff of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and the leadership of other county parties in Wisconsin. all of whom significantly contributed to these outcomes. Many other organizations also ran canvasses, distributed yard signs, provided voters with information on the constitutional amendment, registered voters, and ensured that every voter who wanted to cast a ballot was able to do so. Dane Dems thank them for their invaluable contributions to this election.
“We are so grateful for all the people who continue spending their time and energy to ensure we turn out Democratic voters. While we didn’t win all that we wanted to in this election, and we know that perilous times lie ahead, we have important elections for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State Superintendent of Schools this spring. We will continue to organize and do everything we can to advance the causes of progress and democracy.”
