ELECTION GUIDE 2012 +pages B1-B4 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Election Day 2012: Obama vs. Romney Wisconsin plays prominent role in close presidential election
grey satterfield/the daily cardinal
abigail waldo/the daily cardinal
By Tyler Nickerson The Daily Cardinal
In an election being watched by the world, Wisconsin has become one of a handful of decisive political battlegrounds experts say could decide the election. Wisconsin has proven a politically complex place. The state has not voted Republican in a presidential election since Ronald Reagan in the mid 1980s and just four years ago in 2008, Obama won convincingly by 14 points. But that is only half the story. A series of high profile events over the last few years have Republicans seeing an opportunity for victory in Wisconsin. In 2010, Republicans, riding a wave of conservatism that swept across the nation during midterm elections, took a U.S. Senate seat, the governorship and control of state government from Democrats. Then came the historic response to Gov. Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill that, in the end, saw Walker and Wisconsin’s Republicans make a defiant political statement by coming out of the recall efforts against them largely unscathed, if not encouraged. Now, where once stood “Fighting Bob” Lafollette and U.S. Senator Russ Feingold are nationally prominent Republicans like Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus who call Wisconsin home.
graphic by angel lee
In just two years, Wisconsin went from undeniably blue to notoriously purple. It is within this context that Wisconsin has become one of a handful of battleground states that experts say will decide this election. “For the last week or so, Wisconsin has been probably in the top five states in terms of attention we’ve been getting from the national campaigns,” said University of Wisconsin Political Science Professor Barry Burden. In the week leading up to the election, all four candidates on the Democratic and Republican tickets made campaign stops
Top: Polling place locations Bottom: Voting wards
here, Obama twice. Monday, the day before the election, Obama made his second trip of the campaign to Madison, and was joined by Bruce Springsteen in front of 18,000 supporters. Friday, Romney held a rally in Milwaukee in front of thousands. Also, the presidential and vice presidential visits are underscored by a flurry of campaigning by top surrogates from each party, from former president Bill Clinton on behalf of Obama to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for Romney. “It really is a prime target for both parties,”
Burden said. However, despite the emergence of Wisconsin as a breeding ground for conservative all-stars, as well as the millions of Republican dollars being spent trying to sway what few undecided voters there are left, polls have remained in Obama’s favor. “Republicans still think they have a shot here, but it’s an uphill battle just because the Obama campaign has generally has been viewed as the leader,” Burden said, adding that only after Romney’s inspired-or Obama’s uninspired-performance in the first presidential debate and the choice of Janesville-native Paul Ryan as the Vice Presidential candidate did the polls show Romney even with Obama. Wisconsin’s role in the election, evidenced by the flurry of in-person campaigning and unrelenting political advertisements, may be viewed as a state that could play a decisive role in the election, but to most political observers, including Burden, Ohio is “the real prize.” The 18 Electoral College votes up for grabs in Ohio make it ground zero for both campaigns, and Wisconsin plays a still significant secondary role. “For the Obama campaign, if they lose Ohio, they are still counting on Wisconsin and Iowa being in their camp,” said Burden.
candidates page 3
If you are already registered to vote...
1) A photo ID is NOT required to vote Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law which requires a valid photo ID to vote will not be enforced in this election.
If you need to register, here is what you will need...
1) Photo ID A Wisconsin driver’s license or state-issued ID number or Social Security number 2) Proof of residence A physical or electronic document which includes your complete name and your current Wisconsin address.
If you forget to bring proof of residence… Graphic by: Dylan Moriarty
1) Another individual can no longer vouch for you, as was the case in previous elections.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”