Live updates: What we’re watching on Election Day 2026

In case you haven’t heard, it’s Election Day, and the stakes are high.

(You always hear that, right? But it’s true!)

Sure, there’s no presidential or even a U.S. Senate contest. But Wisconsin voters will choose our next governor, state senators and representatives, members of Congress — and several other statewide officials, including attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. Those elections will shape the balance of power in state and federal government.

Meanwhile, voters will answer three questions about amending the state constitution.

For a full overview of storylines to watch, Brittany Carloni, Audrey Lopez-Stane and Zoey Elwood have you covered here.

We have lots more information in our comprehensive voter guide, which tells you what’s on your ballot, what candidates are promising (those who responded to us, at least) and who’s funding their campaigns.

Wisconsin Watch will report updates throughout the day and night from reporters stationed across the state.

Polls in Wisconsin open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you are still in line at 8 p.m. and haven’t yet had a chance to vote, stay in line. You will still be able to cast a ballot.

So when can you expect to know who’s won? Don’t plan on an early night.

After the polls close, expect a wait of at least a few hours — and possibly longer — for a clear picture of the results.

It’s important to remember that the results reported on election night are unofficial. At Wisconsin Watch, we look to the Associated Press and other reputable news organizations for our race calls. The results won’t become official until election officials complete the canvass and certification process.

The vote-counting process takes time and varies by municipality in Wisconsin. Local election officials decide where absentee ballots are counted.

In most places, including Madison, absentee ballots are distributed to the polling places where voters would have cast their ballots in person. There, poll workers tabulate them throughout the day. In others, like Milwaukee and Green Bay, absentee votes are tallied in a central location.

Counting votes takes time. When counting absentee ballots, poll workers have to announce who cast a ballot, check the voter’s name off a poll list, open the ballot envelope, unpack the ballot and feed it into a tabulator.

Early voting, particularly in-person voting, is up this year compared with the 2022 midterms. There were 741,795 mail-in ballots returned and 318,130 in-person early votes cast in 2022. This year, there have been 777,739 mail-in ballots returned and 463,491 in-person early votes as of Monday.

Here are some more links that may be of interest:

• Here’s how Wisconsin’s governor candidates differ on how the state should run elections
• Here are the 14 Wisconsin districts that will decide which party controls the Legislature
• Can unarmed ICE agents watch voting? In Wisconsin that depends on who you ask
• 16 claims about the candidates for Wisconsin governor — and the facts