Wisconsin elections, 2016
Welcome to the Wisconsin elections portal for 2016. Scroll down for information about what was on the ballot, election dates, voting, and more. Wisconsin saw elections for the offices listed below in 2016. Click the links to navigate to Ballotpedia's overview pages for each of these elections, where you will find background, candidate lists, dates, analysis, and more.
Election results
As a result of the 2016 election, Wisconsin maintained its Republican trifecta, meaning that party holds the governorship as well as a majority in both the state Senate and state House. Republicans gained one state Senate seat with 20 seats to Democrats' 13 seats. Republicans lost one state House seat with 64 seats to Democrats' 35 seats. The state Senate was rated a 2016 battleground chamber by Ballotpedia.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) identified the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly as targets in the 2016 elections.
Wisconsin has two U.S. Senate seats and eight U.S. House seats. Incumbent Republican Ron Johnson was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2016 in a race that was considered a battleground race. The U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Scalia's death in early 2016 highlighted the importance of this race due to the impact that the Senate's partisan balance would have on confirming a replacement. All of the U.S. House seats were also up for election in November. Five of the seats were won by Republicans, and three were won by Democrats. Wisconsin's 8th U.S. House district election was expected to be among the most competitive congressional elections in the country.
There was one contested seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which was won by Justice Rebecca Bradley in April 2016.
Donald Trump won Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes in the 2016 general election for president. Barack Obama carried Wisconsin in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. See also: Presidential election in Wisconsin, 2016.
Voting
| Dates | |
|---|---|
| Presidential primary dates | |
| Wisconsin election dates | |
| 2/16/2016 | Judicial primary election |
| 4/5/2016 | Judicial and municipal general election |
| 4/5/2016 | Presidential primary |
| 8/9/2016 | State primary |
| 11/8/2016 | General election (nationwide) |
| Ballot access dates | |
| 1/5/2016 | Last day for candidates to file nomination papers, declarations of candidacy and campaign registration statements for the spring election |
| 6/1/2016 | Last day for candidates to file nomination papers, declarations of candidacy and campaign registration statements for the general election |
Find answers to common questions about voting in Wisconsin below.
- How do I register to vote?
- Is there an early voting period?
- Who is eligible for absentee voting?
- What are the voter ID laws in Wisconsin?
- What time were the polls open?
General information about voting or getting on the ballot is provided at the following links.
Official elections page: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
Primary election
See Primary elections in Wisconsin.
Elections to watch
- United States Senate
- Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District
- Wisconsin Supreme Court
- Wisconsin 8th congressional district
- Wisconsin State Senate
- City of Milwaukee
- Racine Unified School District
What makes an election notable?
History
Presidential Voting Pattern
The percentages below show Wisconsin voter preference in general election presidential races from 2000 to 2012.[1]
For more information, see: Presidential voting trends in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin vote percentages
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U.S. vote percentages
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See also
Footnotes
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable elections:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Elections that receive considerable media attention
- Elections that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Noteworthy elections involving party leaders
- Open, competitive elections with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Elections that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements