Wisconsin: High voter turnout in presidential election presaged by recall

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Craig Gilbert looks at the voter turnout for the presidential election -- Wisconsin was second in the nation, with 72%, and was one of only three states to exceed 2008's totals. He notes this important fact about the recall:

 Turnout for June's recall election for governor in Wisconsin (57.5% of voting-age adults) was higher than the November turnout for president in 30 of the 50 states.

In short, if you're looking for the reasons behind Wisconsin's unusual levels of participation, you have a very long list of factors to choose from. Some of them are more enduring: demographics, geography, tradition, habit. And some are circumstantial or subject to change: a convenient, user-friendly voting system, stark political divisions, intense partisan competition, and high levels of political organization and activity.