Wisconsin union debate reaches court election race

Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg addresses her supporters in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday.

Wisconsin's fight over union rights came to a head at the polls Tuesday as voters split almost evenly over whether to re-elect a conservative-leaning justice or give his little-known opponent his seat on the state Supreme Court.

The race between Justice David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg was too close to call early Wednesday morning. With 99% of precincts reporting, Prosser led Kloppenburg by 585 votes. Final, official results could vary and a recount appeared likely.
The race reflected the divide in the state over Republican Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining law, which would strip public workers of nearly all their union rights. The issue, which could ultimately be decided by the state Supreme Court, propelled the relatively unknown Kloppenburg into prominence and heightened voter interest in the election.
Residents across the state flooded into polling stations to express strong opinions about Walker's policy initiatives. The voters helped boost turnout in many places to twice the level of a typical spring election, sending some clerks scrambling for extra ballots.
In Neenah, Wis., people waited outside nearly 20 minutes before a polling place opened at 7 a.m.
"People have been calling the office and asking, 'Where do I vote, where do I vote?'" Jacqulynn Conrad-Cotter, co-chairwoman of the Roosevelt Elementary School polling site in Neenah, said Tuesday. "We've been steady; non-stop."
Arnold Shober, an assistant professor of government at Lawrence University in Appleton, said politics is about symbols, and that fact was clear Tuesday.
"I think there's a lot of symbolism going on with this particular election that we will feel repercussions from in the next couple of weeks," Shober said.

Walker's plan to limit public worker bargaining powers while requiring them to pay more for benefits drew a firestorm of protests in Madison and spurred recall efforts for state senators from both parties.
Walker supporters mobilized behind Prosser, a former Republican lawmaker, while opponents embraced Kloppenburg. Although officially non-partisan, the seven-person court is split 3-3 between liberals and conservatives. The winner of the current election could determine the fate of the union law.
Appleton, Wis. City Clerk Cindi Hesse said polling places were much busier than she anticipated.
"Twice as much as a normal spring election," Hesse said. "Everybody is riled-up over everything here, and different people are voting for different reasons, but everyone is concerned."
Joe Reidel, chief clerk at the Maplewood Middle School polling site in the Town of Menasha, said the events in Madison kept voting "steady all day."
"The state is pretty well divided, or upset, the way things are going," he said.
Voter Steve Shanke of Neenah wasn't surprised by the turnout.
Shanke said voters wanted to send a message.
"Removing those collective bargaining rights is a union-busting move," he said.
Dustin Heimerl, 23, of Neenah said he hadn't heard of Prosser before the election campaign, and said if the events in Madison hadn't occurred he probably wouldn't have voted.
But he registered and cast a vote for Prosser on Tuesday.
"I felt that the budget reform makes it fair for everyone else because they have to pay their fair share," said Heimerl, who works in customer service.
Under Wisconsin election law, a candidate has three days after the official results have been tallied to request a recount. The candidate must specify a reason for the request, such as a belief a mistake was made in the counting or some other irregularity.