Reporters fanned out across the state Tuesday — not only to document the results of a high-stakes election that will usher in a new balance of political power in Wisconsin, but also to capture how residents participated in the democratic process.
Sometimes, a photograph tells a story better than words.
Here is a selection of the best photography from Wisconsin Watch’s and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service’s Election Day coverage.
Voters wait in line to receive a ballot for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections in a polling site at the Stevens Point Parks & Rec Department in Stevens Point, Wis., on Nov. 3, 2026. (Drake White-Bergey for Wisconsin Watch)
Terri Horwich, an observer on behalf of WisDems, sits in the observer area of the McFarland Municipal Center polling place in McFarland, Wis. during the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm elections. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)
With his child, Gus, looking on, Craig Eley marks his ballot at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens polling place on Nov. 3, 2026. “We talk about the issues and the candidates at home and having that understanding that voting is easy, voting is fun. But it’s also something that you want to be informed about so that you can make good choices,” Eley said. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)
An American flag flies above the McFarland Municipal Center in McFarland, Wis. on Nov. 3, 2026 during a rainy midterm election. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)
“I Voted” stickers on a table at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens polling place in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 3 during 2026 midterms. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)
A “#Badgers Vote” sign stands in front of Bascom Hill on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, which hosted multiple voting locations on Nov. 3, 2026, Election Day. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)
Voters mark their ballots at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens polling place in Madison, Wis., during the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm election. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)
Election officials work on processing thousands of ballots at Milwaukee’s central count at the Italian Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)
Carmella Brown points to her “I Voted” sticker near the polling site at the COA Goldin Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)
People walk into the polling site at the COA Goldin Center, 2320 W. Burleigh St. in Milwaukee, to cast their vote on Nov. 3, 2026. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)
Absentee ballots slated for processing at the McFarland Municipal Center polling place in McFarland, Wis. during the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm election. (Lizzy Larson for Wisconsin Watch)Patrick Jordan poses for a photographer near the polling site at the COA Goldin Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)Desilynn Smith and Anna Maria Hodges celebrate after David Crowley won the Wisconsin governorship during the election watch party for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, David Crowley, at Landmark Credit Union Live on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)Attendees celebrate after David Crowley won the Wisconsin governorship during the election watch party for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, David Crowley, at Landmark Credit Union Live on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Photo by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)Victoria Crowley-Washington plays the violin during the election watch party for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, David Crowley, at Landmark Credit Union Live on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)David Crowley and Sara Godlewski celebrate after winning the Wisconsin gubernatorial election during their election watch party at Landmark Credit Union Live on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)David Crowley celebrates winning the Wisconsin governor’s race during his election watch party at Landmark Credit Union Live on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)
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