5. A library card.
6. A check-cashing or courtesy card issued by a merchant in the normal course of
business.
7. A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date
of the election.
8. A residential lease which is effective for a period that includes election day.
9. A university, college, or technical institute fee card.
10. A university, college, or technical institute identification card.
11. An airplane pilot's license.
12. A gas, electric, or telephone service statement for the period commencing not
earlier than 90 days before election day.
A person who is required to provide proof of residence under current law but who
is unable to provide such proof may have his or her registration information corroborated
by another elector who resides in the same municipality. The corroborating elector must
then provide proof of his or her residence. In general, under current law, other persons
who register to vote need not provide proof of residence.
Under current law, pursuant to requirements of the Federal Help America Vote Act
of 2002 (HAVA), a person who registers to vote by mail and who has never voted in a
federal election in his or her municipality (until December 31, 2005) or in the state
(effective January 1, 2006) must present certain identification before being allowed to
cast a ballot. A person who fails to do so may cast a provisional ballot and provide the
identification later. The identification required under current law is: (1) a current and
valid piece of identification containing a photograph of the person or, for an absentee
voter, a copy of a current and valid piece of identification containing a photograph of the
person; or (2) a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or a check or other
document issued by a unit of government that shows the current name and address of the
person.
The bill establishes one uniform list of documents, any one of which may be used
as proof of residence for registration or voting purposes, so long as the document contains
the full name and residential address of the individual. The list created by the bill is as
follows:
1. A current and valid Wisconsin driver's license.
2. A current and valid Wisconsin identification card.
3. Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin
governmental body or unit.
4. An identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business
and bearing a photograph of the card holder, but not including a business card.
5. A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date
of the election.
6. A residential lease, unless the person registered to vote by mail.
7. A university, college, or technical college fee or identification card bearing a
photograph of the card holder.
8. A utility bill for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before election
day.
9. A bank statement.
10. A paycheck.
11. A check or other document issued by a unit of government.
The bill provides that a university, college, or technical college fee or identification
card which does not contain the address of the student bearing the card may still be
considered acceptable proof of residence if the university, college, or technical college that
issued the card provides to the municipal clerk before the election a certified and current
list of students who reside in housing sponsored by the university, college, or technical
college showing the current address of the students and if the poll worker verifies that
the student presenting the card is included on the list.
Deadline for Registration
Under current law, registration for any election must close at 5 p.m. on the second
Wednesday preceding the election. Registration may be accepted after this deadline if the
municipal clerk determines that the registration list can be revised to incorporate the
registration in time for the election. A person may also register to vote after the official
date for the close of registration. Generally, a person may register late by filing with the
municipal clerk a registration form completed by the person and acceptable proof of
residence or corroboration of residence by one other elector of the municipality. The
registration form must be filed in person no later than 5 p.m. or the close of business,
whichever is later, on the day before the election. Unless the clerk determines that the
registration list can be updated in time for the election, the municipal clerk must issue
to the late-registering person a certificate addressed to the inspectors of the proper ward
directing that the elector be permitted to vote. The certificate must be presented by the
person to the inspectors when he or she arrives at the polling place.
The bill changes the registration deadline from the 2nd Wednesday preceding the
election to the 3rd Wednesday preceding the election. Under the bill, registration after
this deadline is limited to persons registering in person in the office of the municipal clerk,
persons registering at the polls on election day, and hospitalized persons registering via
an agent.
Locations for Voter Registration; "Roving" Special Registration Deputies
Under current law, individuals may register to vote at the office of the municipal
clerk, at other locations designated by the clerk, at high schools, and at the register of
deeds office. In addition, current law authorizes the municipal clerk and the elections
board to appoint special registration deputies for the purpose of registering electors of a
municipality anywhere throughout the municipality—the so-called "roving registration
deputies". Current law also authorizes the appointment of special registration deputies
to assist in registering voters at the polls on election day and requires the appointment
of special registration deputies at other locations designated for registration by the
municipal clerk.
The bill requires "roving" special registration deputies to be trained and to print
and sign their names on all registration forms they accept. In addition, the bill subjects
all registration forms accepted by such deputies to a letter or postcard audit by the
municipal clerk. Under the bill, the municipal clerk and the elections board must
maintain a record of the names and addresses of all individuals appointed by the clerk
or board as "roving" special registration deputies.
The bill also creates an exemption from requiring the clerk to appoint special
registration deputies for registration locations established by the municipal clerk when
the clerk and deputy clerks can sufficiently staff the locations. In addition, the bill
eliminates the statutory requirement that registration be available at the office of the
register of deeds and instead requires that registration be available at the office of the
county clerk.
Prohibition on Certain Payment for Voter Registration
The bill prohibits any person from compensating any person who obtains voter
registrations at a rate that varies in relation to the number of voter registrations
obtained. Violators are guilty of a misdemeanor and are subject to a fine of not more than
$1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both, for each offense.
Verification of Pre-Election Voter Registration
Under current law, when a municipal clerk receives a voter registration form by
mail, the clerk must examine the form for sufficiency. If the form is insufficient to
accomplish registration or if the clerk knows or has reliable information that the proposed
elector is not qualified, the clerk must notify the proposed elector and request that the
elector appear at the clerk's office or other registration center to complete a proper
registration or substantiate the information presented. Similarly, if the form is
submitted after the close of registration, the clerk must attempt to notify the elector that
registration may be completed in the clerk's office or at the polls on election day.
Under current law, if the form is sufficient and the clerk has no reliable information
to believe that the proposed elector is not qualified, the clerk must enter the person's
name on the registration list and transmit a first class letter or postcard to the registrant
identifying the registrant's proper ward or aldermanic district and polling place. If the
letter or postcard is returned, the clerk must change the registrant's status to ineligible.
The bill specifies that the clerk must mail the letter or postcard within 10 days of
receiving the registration.
Fee for Copy of Registration List
Under current law, the fee for a copy of a public record may not exceed the actual,
necessary, and direct cost of reproduction, unless a fee is otherwise specifically
established or authorized to be established by law.
The bill directs the elections board to establish a fee for receiving a copy of the
statewide voter registration list. The fee must be established by rule after consultation
with county and municipal election officials. The amount of the fee must be set to cover
the cost of reproduction and the cost of maintaining the list. The rules must also specify
how revenues from the fees will be shared between the state and municipalities (or
counties if they perform registration functions on behalf of municipalities). The bill also
authorizes the board to promulgate emergency rules to be in effect until permanent rules
are promulgated.
Same-Day Voter Registration and Double Voting Audits by Elections Board
Under current law, after each election the municipal clerk receives a list of all
electors who registered to vote on election day. Upon receipt of the list, the clerk is
required to make an audit of all such electors. The audit is to be made by 1st class
postcard, which is to be marked in such a way so that it will be returned to the clerk if
the elector named on the card does not reside at the address given on the postcard. If the
postcard is returned undelivered, the clerk is required to change the status of the elector
on the registration list from eligible to ineligible and mail the elector a notice of the change
in status and provide the name to the district attorney for the county where the polling
place is located. Also under current law, the municipal clerk must determine if any elector
appears to have voted more than once and must attempt to contact each such elector.
The bill authorizes the state elections board to perform these audit functions in lieu
of the municipal clerk.
Out-of-State Driver's License Holders
This bill provides that whenever an elector registers to vote in the general election
after the close of registration, and the elector presents a valid driver's license issued by
another state, the registering official must record the license number, issuing state, and
expiration date of any license presented. The information would not be available for
general public inspection. In addition, the bill requires the elections board, following each
general election, to contact the chief election official in each other state that has issued
a valid driver's license to an elector presenting that license who voted in the election and
to inquire whether the elector had voted in that election in that state.
Currently, there are no such requirements,
Uniform registration forms
Currently, the elections board prescribes the content of registration forms in
accordance with statutory requirements. This bill requires the board to create uniform
registration forms that must be used throughout the state for purposes of registration.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Requesting an Absentee Ballot by Fax or Email
Under current law, any elector who is unable or unwilling to appear at the polling
place in his or her ward on election day may vote by absentee ballot. An elector seeking
to vote by absentee ballot must generally make a written application to the municipal
clerk. An application may be made by one of the following methods: (1) by mail; (2) in
person at the office of the municipal clerk; (3) by signing a statement indicating the elector
is indefinitely confined or disabled; (4) by agent when the elector is hospitalized; or (5) by
delivering an application to a special voting deputy when the elector is an occupant of a
nursing home and similar facilities.
The bill authorizes a registered elector, including a registered "overseas elector",
or an elector who qualifies as a "military elector", who is unable or unwilling to appear
at the polling place in his or her ward on election day to apply for an absentee ballot by
making a written application to the municipal clerk by facsimile transmission (fax) or
electronic mail (email). The application must contain a copy of the applicant's original
signature. When the absentee ballot is returned, the elector must enclose a copy of the
absentee ballot request bearing an original signature of the elector along with the ballot.
Ballots cast in contravention of this procedure are not to be counted.
Deadline for Requesting Absentee Ballot by Mail
Under current law, requests for absentee ballots made by an elector by mail must
be received by the municipal clerk by 5 p.m. on the Friday preceding the election. The
bill changes the deadline for such requests to no later than 5 p.m. on the 5th day
immediately preceding the election, except for applications submitted by mail by military
electors and indefinitely confined electors. Under the bill, applications by mail from these
electors retain the current deadline of 5 p.m. on the Friday before the election.
Absentee Ballots for Military Electors - Permanent Ballots
Under current law, "military electors" are defined to be any of the following:
1. Members of a uniformed service (i.e., the U.S. army, navy, air force, marine corps,
or coast guard, the commissioned corps of the federal public health service, or the national
oceanic and atmospheric administration).
2. Members of the U.S. merchant marine.
3. Civilian employees of the U.S. and civilians officially attached to a uniformed
service who are serving outside the U.S.
4. Peace corps volunteers.
5. Spouses and dependents of the above who reside with or accompany them.
In general, and with some exceptions, a military elector is to vote in the ward or
election district for the address of his or her residence prior to becoming a military elector.
In general, military electors are not required to register as a prerequisite to voting in any
election.
A military elector may request an absentee ballot for any election, or for all
elections until the individual otherwise requests or until the person no longer qualifies
as a military elector. An absentee ballot application from a military elector may be
received at any time. In general, as an alternative to a regular absentee ballot request
form, a federal postcard registration and absentee ballot request form may be used to
apply for an absentee ballot by a military elector if the municipal clerk can determine that
the applicant is qualified to vote in the election district where he or she seeks to vote and
that the applicant is qualified to receive an absentee ballot as a military elector.
For military electors who are in the uniformed service and on active duty, members
of the merchant marine, and the spouse and dependents of such persons who are absent
because of the duty or service of the member, current law also provides that such electors
may request an absentee ballot for the next 2 general elections. A municipal clerk must
comply with such a request except that no absentee ballot may be sent for a succeeding
general election if the elector's name appeared on the registration list for a previous
general election and no longer appears on the registration list for the succeeding general
election. Further, if the elector's address for the succeeding general election is in a
municipality that is different from the municipality in which the elector resided for the
first general election, current law requires the clerk to forward the request to the clerk
of the municipality where the elector resides.
Currently, a municipal clerk must send a ballot, as soon as available, to each
military elector who requests a ballot. However, the clerk may not send a ballot for an
election if the application is received later than 5 p.m. on the Friday preceding that
election. Whenever absentee ballots are sent to military electors, they must be prepared
and mailed to make use of the federal free postage laws.
The bill modifies current law to provide that every request by any military elector
must be treated as a request for an absentee ballot for all subsequent elections. Under
the bill, if a municipal clerk receives a request for an absentee ballot from a military
elector, the municipal clerk must send an absentee ballot to the elector for all elections
that occur after the request is received. The bill allows a military elector to provide an
alternate address on the absentee ballot application and requires the municipal clerk to
send an absentee ballot to that alternate address if a ballot sent to the elector's primary
address is returned as undeliverable.
The bill authorizes a municipal clerk to stop sending a ballot to a military elector
in the following situations: (1) if 2 successive general elections go by and a military elector
fails to return an absentee ballot for any election during that time period; (2) if the clerk
is reliably informed that the elector is no longer a military elector or no longer resides in
the municipality; (3) if the elector is subject to a registration requirement and his or her
name no longer appears on the registration list as an eligible elector; or (4) if the elector
so requests. Prior to discontinuing sending ballots to a military elector solely for the
failure to return absentee ballots, the municipal clerk must notify the elector by mail that
no future ballots will be sent unless the elector renews his or her absentee ballot request
within 30 days. The bill also requires the municipal clerk to notify a military elector of
any action to discontinue sending ballots to the elector not taken at the elector's request
within 5 days of taking that action, if possible.
Late-Arriving Absentee Ballots From Military Electors
Under current law, absentee ballots must be returned to the municipal clerk in
time for delivery to the polls before the polls close. Any ballot not delivered by this
deadline may not be counted.
The bill provides that a vote cast on a ballot cast by a "military elector", as defined
above, that is received by the municipal clerk after the close of the polls may, in some
situations, still be counted. Under the bill, a vote cast on a ballot that is received after
the polls close is considered a valid ballot if it is received by the clerk by the deadline for
requesting a recount for the office for which the vote is cast and if it contains a postal
service cancellation mark dated on or before the election day for which the ballot was cast.
However, under the bill these ballots will not be counted unless a recount occurs.
Under the bill, a certificate envelope sent to a military elector must be clearly
labeled so that when it is returned the clerk will know that it is from a military elector.
If a certificate envelope that is returned by a military elector after the polls close but
before the deadline for the return of such ballots has an illegible postmark, or no
postmark, it is presumed that the envelope was timely mailed, unless established
otherwise.
The bill directs the municipal clerk to post in his or her office on election night and
on an internet site a statement announcing the number of absentee ballots that have not
been returned by military electors by the closing of the polls. However, the posting may
not include the names or addresses of any military electors.
Under the bill, if a recount petition is filed, the municipal clerk must immediately
notify the appropriate board of canvassers as to the number of absentee ballots that were
timely received after the polls closed and whether any absentee ballots that were sent to
military electors have not been returned. If there are unreturned ballots at the time a
recount petition has been filed, the bill provides that the recount may not proceed until
all timely returned ballots are delivered by the clerk or 9 a.m. on the day following the
last day for filing a recount petition, whichever occurs first.
As soon as practicable after receiving the last late-arriving ballot but in no case
later than 9 a.m. on the day following the last day for filing a recount petition, the clerk
must transmit to the appropriate board of canvassers all of the late-arriving ballots of
military electors received by the clerk.
When the board of canvassers conducting a recount receives late-arriving
absentee ballots cast by military electors, the board must first open and record the names
of the military electors whose ballots have been received. If the late-arriving ballot cast
by a military elector is otherwise valid, the board of canvassers must count the ballot and
adjust the original statements, certifications, and determinations. After doing so, the
board of canvassers may begin the recount.
Witness for Absentee Ballots
Under current law, military and overseas voters who cast absentee ballots must
have a witness who is an adult U.S. citizen. All other absentee ballots must have a
witness, but the age and nationality of the witness is not specified. The bill requires all
absentee ballots to be witnessed by an adult U.S. citizen.
Elimination of Prepaid Return Postage and Notice of Hours
Generally, under current law, if the municipal clerk sends an absentee ballot to an
elector, the ballot must include sufficient return postage to return the ballot from
anywhere within the United States. The bill specifies that if the absentee ballot is mailed
from outside the United States, the elector must affix sufficient postage for return of the
ballot unless the ballot qualifies for mailing free of postage under federal law. The bill
also modifies the notice that a clerk must post to include the hours that an elector can cast
an absentee ballot in the clerk's office or an alternate site.
Opening Absentee Ballots in Public
Under current law, absentee ballot envelopes must be opened at the polling place
during poll hours and the ballots placed in the ballot box without disclosing how the voter
voted. When the envelopes are opened, the inspector is required to publicly announce the
names or serial numbers of the absent electors casting the ballots.
The bill adds language to ensure that this opening process is done so that election
observers may hear and see the process.
Observation of Absentee Voting in Certain Nursing Homes and Other Facilities
Under current law, there is a separate procedure for absentee voting by residents
of nursing homes, and certain community-based residential facilities and retirement
homes. If a resident of such a facility requests an absentee ballot, the clerk will arrange
a time to send 2 special deputies to the facility to facilitate absentee voting by the
residents. The time that the deputies visit the home or facility is not announced prior to
the visit.
The bill requires the municipal clerk to maintain a list, available to the public, of
all of the facilities where an absentee ballot has been requested and when the special
deputies will be visiting the facility. In addition, the clerk must post a notice at the facility
indicating when the special deputies will be visiting. The bill also allows one observer
from each of the recognized political parties whose candidate for governor or president
received the greatest numbers of votes in the municipality at the most recent general
election to accompany the deputies to observe the distribution of absentee ballots in the
common areas of the facility. The deputies are given the same authority as the chief
election inspector to monitor this observer's conduct.
Alternate Absentee Ballot Site
Under current law, persons may apply for and vote an absentee ballot at the
municipal clerk's office prior to election day. In addition, absentee ballots that are not
voted at the clerk's office are to be returned to the clerk's office in time for delivery to the
polls before the polls close on election day.
The bill authorizes the governing body of a municipality (city, village, or town) to
establish an alternate absentee ballot voting site in lieu of the municipal clerk's office to
facilitate absentee ballot applications, voting of absentee ballots, and the return of
absentee ballots prior to the close of the polls. Generally, the decision to move the
absentee ballot functions to this alternate site must be made and the location of the
alternate location must be established no later than 14 days prior to the time when
absentee ballots are available for voting at a primary, if a primary is required (generally
30 days before a September primary and 21 days before other primaries, including the
Spring primary) and the site must be used until at least the day after the election
following the primary. No absentee ballot functions that are to take place at this alternate
site may be conducted at the municipal clerk's office so long as the alternate site is used.
The bill requires notice of the alternate site to be prominently displayed in the office of
the municipal clerk beginning on the date that the site is selected and continuing during
the time that absentee ballots are available and requires a notice of the alternate site to
be published in a newspaper along with other absentee ballot information required under
current law and on an Internet site if one is maintained by the municipal clerk. The bill
requires the alternate site to be staffed by the municipal clerk or by employees of the
clerk. The alternate site must be accessible and located as near as practicable to the office
of the clerk, but may not be located so as to afford an advantage to any political party.
Observation and electioneering laws would apply to alternate locations established
under the bill.
Election Observers
Under current law, any member of the public may be present at any polling place
for the purpose of observing an election, except a candidate at that election. The chief
inspector at the polling place is authorized to "reasonably limit" the number of persons
representing the same organization who are permitted to observe an election at the same
time. In addition, the chief inspector is authorized to restrict the location of observers to
certain areas at a polling place. Such an area is to be clearly designated as an observation
area. Observation areas must be positioned to allow observers to readily observe all
public aspects of the voting process. The statutes authorize a chief inspector to order the
removal from a polling place of any observer who commits an overt act which disrupts the
operation of the polling place or who engages in electioneering in violation of the law.
