Officials with the Milwaukee Election Commission say four polling locations inside Milwaukee Public Schools buildings opened later than the required 7:00 a.m. start time Tuesday morning.
They say the delayed openings stemmed from an overnight Milwaukee Public Schools building access system update that unintentionally restricted early access to some school buildings.
According to election officials, the issue was resolved quickly, and the delays were brief, with the latest location opening around 7:40 a.m.
Officials say election staff worked with school personnel to ensure the sites opened at Maryland Ave. Montessori School, Green Bay Ave. School, Sherman Elementary School and Milwaukee Environmental Sciences Academy as quickly as possible.
WATCH: Wisconsin spring election update
After that, people told TMJ4 they were in and out in less than a few minutes. For Toy Stanbach and Paul Neitzke, voting at the academy was a breeze.
"I think we're lucky when we come here because it's always quick, it's fast," Stanbach said.
Neitzke said the state Supreme Court race was the biggest draw for him.
"Probably the biggest was the state Supreme Court," Neitzke said.
The Milwaukee Election Commission said a small number of other voters who showed up when the polls opened either waited or left due to issues getting inside.
"Voters that did wait were able to vote and some of them have indicated they're going to go back," Paulina Gutiérrez said.
Milwaukee Public Schools takes responsibility for the delays.
"We had an access issue at one site and in working to fix it, we inadvertently changed access control at all sites," Tony Tagliavia said.
Timothy Scott is the chief polling inspector at a Milwaukee Public Schools polling location that didn't see any issues, and not many voters either.
"Last year at this time we were unable to take a break, constantly it was busy all day so what we're hearing is some saying I didn't even know it was an election today," Scott said.
Ronnell Lewis said she took time off work to be a part of the process and urges others to participate by 8 p.m.
"It's very important to show your support for our government and put in the people you want," Lewis said.
The Milwaukee Election Commission estimates about 30 percent of registered voters will participate in this election, a significant decrease compared to the 2025 spring election.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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