Updated 6:30 pm: Villages Close to Surpassing 2010 Voter Turnout

**Updatd 6:30 pm

On June 5, 2012, around two-thirds of Wisconsin voters are expected to come to the polls to vote in a historic recall election.

The election comes after hundreds of thousands of signatures were turned in, from people who wanted to see Gov. Scott Walker out of office, along with Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, Sen. Van Wanggaard, and three other Republican senators from across the state. Walker is facing challenger Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Kleefisch faces challenger Mahlon Mitchell and Wanggaard faces former Sen. John Lehman. 

Learn more about the races and how to vote by reviewing Patch coverage of the recall election and checking out our .

9:30 a.m. Mount Pleasant Village Hall

A steady stream of voters kept the line at stretched down the hallway. 

Chief Inspector Linda Fonk said people were well-behaved, other than one crabby voter who didn't register to vote, and learned he had to do so only after waiting in line for a while, and someone else who had parked their vehicle covered with Scott Walker-Rebecca Kleefisch signs right next to the entrance.

"At 7 a.m. we had a line waiting out there," Fonk said. "It's been like this since we opened."

It was busy for the last election, too, Fonk said, and she told poll workers not to expect much in the way of a break later in the day.

"I told the girls, I'll guarantee lunch, but I make no promises about dinner," she said. 

Among the things that are keeping poll workers busy are the 3,000 absentee ballots the village issued in advance of the election. Many of those have come back, and they need to be tallied today along with the Election Day votes. If the polls stay busy, they'll have to tally them after the polls close at 8 p.m. 

The parking spaces close to the entrance were full late in the morning, and many people had parked on the street. Some voters were reluctant to talk about the election, or how they had voted.

David Lamack was a firefighter, and said he is a supporter of the recall effort. He said he is more motivated to vote in this election than in many others.

It is important to vote, he said, and encouraged everyone to come to the polls.

"It's our duty. It's our right," he said. "But there are people who are undecided or who don't like either party, and they're not gonna vote."

Tim and Judy Hembrook came to vote for Walker. 

They are regular voters, and Tim Hembrook said this is an important election, particularly because the governor spot is at stake.

Like Lamack, he said people should cast ballots today.

"As far as I'm concerned, if they don't vote, they don't belong here in this country," he said. "It's the one time we've got something to say about it."

10 a.m.  

The lines in Sturtevant had dwindled by mid-morning, but there were still plenty of people coming in to vote. 

Village Clerk Mary Cole said people were lined up at 6:10 a.m., nearly an hour before the polls opened, and there was a line out the door early in the morning. 

Daniel Valle was one of those who took advantage of the mid-morning lull to vote. 

"I thought it was my duty to vote," he said. 

Valle is a regular voter, and said he supported Obama in the last presidential election, and that he voted for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett today.

The political climate in Wisconsin has been difficult, he said.

"We're so divided," he said. "I hope eventually we can all be together."

1 pm Messiah Lutheran, Mount Pleasant

We ran into Trustee Harry Manning on his way out of the polling location after he cast his ballot. At numbr 715, he said he figured that would be about half of actual turnout.

"We waited until after the lunch rush so we wouldn't have to wait in line," he said. "Usually when we come at this time, our voter numbers end up being the half-point."

Chief Poll Inspector Willie Riley said he expects about 1,500 of the location's 2,000 registered voters to turnout.

"We did have lines to the door, but if we don't slow down then I bet we'll see 1,500 here," he said. "That's about equal to the 2008 Presidential election."

Bruce, who didn't want to give his last name, first said he turned out to vote today because voting is a right for which too many died and sacrificed to waste.

"It's a waste of your voice to not vote," he added.

But after a few minutes of conversation, Bruce opened up a bit and said the recall election results touch his family so voting for him today is personal.

"We're split at home, conservative and democrat, so there are issues we can't talk about," he said. "But my wife is in education so when what's happening in Madison effects your family, even if you might think it's for the greater good, you feel like you have to have a voice."

1:30 pm, Peace Lutheran, Mount Pleasant

Lines were to the door when Patch arrived at what is normally one of the village's busiest polling locations, and today proved no different.

Jeannie Christensen, chief poll inspector, was directing the line at the door into the gym, and said voter traffic hadn't let up since the doors opened at 7 am.

"It's been so busy we can't even stop to eat," she said quickly before heading back to a table to help sign in residents.

By 1:30, Peace poll workers were handing out number 1,280. There are 4,167 registered voters in the wards that use Peace Lutheran as their polling location.

Washington Park High School senior Nikki Wilson was in line to register to vote for the first time. She said she didn't mind waiting in line for over 20 minutes in order to cast a ballot, even though she was missing the last two hours of school to do it.

"It's an important election and I want my vote to count," she said.

So why not just come after school? Wilson said she's volunteering at the Racine Labor Center for a get-out-the-vote effort.

Lisa Sondergaard is a regular voter who rarely sees it so busy at Peace. She cast her ballot on the electronic voting machine while her son, Craig, waited in line to register.

"The touch screen was so easy," she said. "I don't know why more people don't vote that way."

When asked why he was registering to vote, the REAL School senior said he was 18 and then shrugged, like, well, why wouldn't he vote?

"I'm 18 now, and I want to vote," he said.

4:45 pm Sturtevant Village Hall

"We passed 50 percent at 2 pm," said Mary Cole, village clerk/deputy treasurer.

With a steady stream of cars pulling into Village Hall parking lot, every chair filled at the registration table, and a line to sign in, a high turnout wasn't really a surprise. What surprised Cole was that at 4:45 pm, voter 1,846 put their ballot into the machine, and by 5:05, voter 1,902 was turning in a ballot.

"It has been non-stop, but this is unbelievable," she said of the turnout.

Sturtevant's 251 absentee ballots were processed just after lunch so that is one task off Cole and her poll workers' plates.

"Yeah, that's a relief," she admitted. "We do have some outstanding, but not too many, I don't think."

Benjamin and Vickie Doss are regular voters, they said, and turned out in this election because that's just want they do.

"It's my constitutional right," said Benjamin Doss.

Jennifer Rohde is a strong Walker supporter and said it was important for her to vote today because she believes he's doing what needs to be done.

"It's important for everyone to sacrifice for the greater good, no one is excused," she said. "And he's creating jobs so even though I'm a regular voter, I needed to be sure I voted today."

5:20 pm Mount Pleasant Village Hall

Patch caught up with Dionne McKinnie and her son, Jeremiah, before they went in to be sure Jeremiah McKinnie's registration was still valid. This is the second election in which he's voting, and the high school senior said he was casting a ballot because he sees a future different from what he wants with Walker at the helm of the state.

"I don't see things getting better for my generation with this governor," he said.

Dionne McKinnie is a teacher and said the cuts to education are what spurred her to the polls. She's a regular voter, but couldn't deny that it was a little exciting to see her son cast a ballot in his second election, the first being the recall primary on May 8.

"I am a teacher, and, to be honest, John Lehman was my teacher when I was in seventh and eighth grade," she said. "I think he has he right ideas for funding education."

Lines were down the hall and around the clerk's desk when Patch checked in shortly after 5 pm. Voter 1,536 put their ballot in the machine at 5:23 pm and just seven minutes later, voter 1,560 tapped the touch screen machine.

Fonk said absentee ballots there will have to wait until the polls close because lines have been too long to break in to use the ballot machine.

Beverly Darby was casting her ballot for Barrett.

"I want Scott Walker out," she stated bluntly.

Her son, Cedric, registered to vote for the first time. He admitted he didn't pay too much attention to politics, but said it's time to grow up.

"It's time to vote and get involved," he said. "I'm growing up, and it's the right thing to do."