Voter turnout for primary lower than predicted - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

MADISON (WKOW) -- Only about one in five eligible voters cast a ballot in Wisconsin's recent primary election.

The state Government Accountability Board had predicted turnout of 20 percent. The actual turnout was about 18 percent.

The main contested race was the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, won by Tommy Thompson. About 582,000 votes were cast in that four-way race.

Democratic candidate Tammy Baldwin ran unopposed. She got about 186,000 votes.

Turnout had been high in recent elections. Nearly 58 percent of voting-age adults turned out for the historic recall election in June.

However, the recalls, along with all the campaigning that preceded them, may have led to voter fatigue. The voters who cast ballots in the August 14 primary represented 18 percent of the state's 4.35 million eligible voters.

The next statewide election is November 6.