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Will voters come out Tuesday?

JANESVILLE — Hot races, cold weather and spring break are making it tricky to predict voter turnout in Tuesday's election.

"There's so many little things," said Lori Stottler, Rock County Clerk. "The Janesville Schools are on spring break, we're coming off of a presidential election and some of the races aren't being contested.

Locally, eight candidates are vying for five seats on the Janesville School Board. For Janesville City Council, 10 candidates are vying for four spots.

Township and village seats are up for grabs, too.

At the state level, voters will elect either Tony Evers or Rose Fernandez as the new state superintendent of schools. They'll also pick Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson or her challenger, Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick, to serve on the state's supreme court.

Polls are open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"The state is predicting 20 percent turnout," said Stottler. "I think we might have between 14 and 16 percent."

School board and city council races are especially important because they determine the local tax levy, Stottler said.

"I wish I could show people in tax dollars how much these races matter," Stottler said. "I would love to see a 50 or 60 percent turnout, but I'm an eternal optimist."

Some of the township and village races are uncontested, and that will lower turnout.

In Magnolia Township, however, the town clerk had 47 absentee voter requests, an unusually high number that might indicate a hotly contested race, Stottler said.

Jean Wulf, Janesville city clerk, said she was expecting 7,500 to 8,000 voters, or about 20 percent.

Walworth County Clerk Kimberly Bushey said turnout for April elections between 2001 and 2008 ranged from 12 to 20 percent.

"I never guess at turnouts," Bushey said. "It is somewhat unpredictable."

Almost as unpredictable as the weather, which also influences turnout.

Forecasters offer a variety of predications for Tuesday ranging from "snow showers possible" to "party cloudy with a high of 47 degrees."

Voters are not allowed to pick between the two.