Elections
Voter turnout in La Crosse doesn’t top 20% for mayor’s race
The number of voters that came to the polls on Tuesday was only a fraction of those who voted in November.
Results in La Crosse County and the City of La Crosse were in the mid to upper teens according to the city and county clerks that run the elections.
In La Crosse, 19% of registered voters decided who the two candidates are for the next mayor of La Crosse, Shaundel Washington-Spivey and Chris Kahlow.
The number of registered voters for the city is around 32,000, according to city clerk Nikki Elsen. She also noted Wednesday on WIZM’s La Crosse Talk that the number of eligible voters in the city is around 43,000.
Washington-Spivey, Kahlow advance in race for La Crosse Mayor
La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-8 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk wherever you get your podcasts.
In total, 6,151 votes were cast for the Tuesday race.
There were also contest for the District 7 city council seat and the La Crosse School Board to bring more voters to the polls.
In many places, the only race was the primary for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In La Crosse County, where there are 79,326 registered voters according to the County Clerk’s office, 10,674, or 13.46% voted.
Turnout was similar elsewhere, too.
Next door in Monroe County, for example, voter turnout in different municipalities ranged from 6.25% in the Town of Angelo to more than 23% in Scott Township. There are only 56 registered voters in that township, though.
Overall, Monroe County averaged 11.42% according to figures from the county clerk’s office.
nick
February 20, 2025 at 7:08 am
The low turnout is an absolute disgrace. Local elections are just as important as national elections.
Bob N.
February 20, 2025 at 7:35 am
WIZM seems to be on a kick to bemoan “low” voter turnout lately. The comments are incorrectly comparing Tuesday’s turnout for La Crosse Mayor primary plus a blah School Board race and Alderman contest with the mob that voted for President in November.
Not exactly edge-of-your-seat drama.
Tuesday’s weather was once of the coldest voting days in recent memory. It does matter.
The Mayoral candidates all sounded the same. The result was an incumbent Alderman advanced along with an ultra-liberal activist. This was La Crosse, not Madison.
Little, if nothing was spent on advertising to drive the turnout.
The next several weeks will differentiate the Mayor’s candidates, if the media does it’s job.
The leaders that La Crosse needs in City Hall and the School Board have not yet appeared, but, maybe in time…….
Yvonne johnston
February 21, 2025 at 12:23 am
Why is this murder case not decided yet after all these years? What is wrong with La Crosse? Too many liberal judges giving out slaps on the hand and murder suspects living outside of La Crosse? Why isn’t he in police custody here? Who dropped the ball here. That article says nothing, no explanation, no resolution, he’s just free, living in Milwaukee (under house arrest). Where, The Ritz or a fancy hotel. This story is incomplete as we also have mediocre local writers that can’t finish a story or explain to those who lost a friend or brother to this suspect? Put him on trial & get it over with.