April 18, 2001 - Introduced by Representatives Starzyk, J. Lehman, Turner, Ryba,
Vrakas, Miller, Huber, Balow, Gunderson, Stone, Wade, Ott
and Skindrud,
cosponsored by Senators Wirch, Robson, Plache and Darling. Referred to
Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
AB339,1,4 1An Act to amend 7.30 (1), 7.30 (2) (a) and (b), 7.30 (4) (a), 7.30 (4) (b) 1. and 2.,
27.30 (4) (c), 7.30 (5), 7.30 (6) (a), 7.30 (6) (c), 7.33 (2) and 60.24 (3) (a) of the
3statutes; relating to: appointment of election officials and staffing of polling
4places.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Currently, the normal staffing level for a polling place is seven inspectors (poll
workers), but the municipal governing body or, in cities having a population of more
than 500,000, the board of election commissioners may reduce that number to three.
If a municipal governing body designates a polling place to serve more than one ward
or a municipality uses more than one voting machine at a polling place, the governing
body or board of election commissioners may appoint additional election officials. A
municipal governing body may provide for the selection of alternate officials.
Municipal clerks and boards of election commissioners are directed to reassign
inspectors from one polling place to another in order to ensure adequate staffing
levels at all polling places.
Currently, election officials must be electors of the municipality in which the
officials serve. In addition, election officials who serve at a polling place are generally
required to be a qualified elector of the ward for which the polling place is
established, whenever a municipality is divided into wards. However, special voter
registration deputies who register electors at a polling place on election day, election
officials who are appointed to work at a polling place that serves more than one ward,
or election officials who are appointed to fill a temporary or permanent vacancy need

not be electors of any particular ward, but must be electors of the municipality in
which the election officials serve.
Election officials currently must be appointed from nominations submitted by
local political party committeemen and committeewomen, but if there are no
committeemen or committeewomen or if insufficient nominations are made,
appointments may be made without regard to party affiliation.
This bill permits municipal governing bodies to provide for the appointment of
reserve inspectors who are qualified electors of this state. Municipalities may use
reserve inspectors in order to ensure adequate staffing at any polling place where the
number of regularly appointed inspectors serving is insufficient to adequately serve
the number of electors that are reasonably expected to vote. The reserve inspectors
need not be appointed on the basis of party affiliation and need not be qualified
electors of the specific municipality, ward, or area served by the polling place at which
they serve. The reserve inspectors must take an oath of office. Their term of office
under the bill is two years. This bill also provides that special voter registration
deputies who register electors at a polling place on election day and election officials
who are appointed to fill temporary or permanent vacancies need not be electors of
the municipality in which the officials serve, but must be qualified electors of this
state.
For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB339, s. 1 1Section 1. 7.30 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,3,92 7.30 (1) Number. There Except as authorized or required under this subsection
3and ss. 7.15 (1) (k) and 7.32, there
shall be 7 inspectors for each polling place at each
4election. In municipalities where voting machines are or any electronic voting
5system is
used, the municipal governing body may reduce the number of inspectors
6to 5. A municipal governing body may provide for the appointment of additional
7inspectors whenever more than one voting machine is used or wards are combined
8under s. 5.15 (6) (b). A municipal governing body may provide for the appointment
9of reserve inspectors who may be called by the municipal clerk or board of election
10commissioners to serve at a polling place for any election in addition to the regularly
11appointed inspectors whenever the number of regularly appointed inspectors

1serving that polling place is insufficient to adequately serve the number of electors
2reasonably expected to vote at an election at that polling place.
A municipal
3governing body may provide by ordinance for the selection of alternate officials or the
4selection of 2 sets of officials to work at different times on election day. Unless
5officials are appointed without regard to party affiliation under sub. (4) (c) or reserve
6inspectors are appointed under this subsection
, additional officials shall be
7appointed in such a manner that the total number of officials is an odd number and
8the predominant party under sub. (2) is represented by one more official than the
9other party.
AB339, s. 2 10Section 2. 7.30 (2) (a) and (b) of the statutes are amended to read:
AB339,4,811 7.30 (2) (a) Only election officials appointed under this section may conduct an
12election. Except as authorized in otherwise provided in this paragraph and s. 7.15
13(1) (k), each inspector election official shall be a qualified elector in of the ward for
14which the polling place is established, or of one of the wards for which the polling
15place is established whenever a polling place serves more than one ward
. Special
16registration deputies appointed under s. 6.55 (6) and , election officials serving more
17than one ward or when necessary
who are appointed to fill a vacancy under par. (b),
18and reserve inspectors appointed under sub. (1) shall be qualified electors of the
19state, but
need not be a resident of that ward, but shall be a resident qualified
20electors
of the municipality. Special registration deputies may be appointed to serve
21more than one polling place. All officials shall be able to read and write the English
22language, be capable, and be of good understanding, and may not be a candidate for
23any office to be voted for at an election at which they serve. In 1st class cities, they
24may hold no public office other than notary public. Except for reserve inspectors
25appointed under sub. (1) and except
as authorized under sub. (4) (c), all inspectors

1shall be affiliated with one of the 2 recognized political parties which received the
2largest number of votes for president, or governor in nonpresidential general election
3years, in the ward or combination of wards served by the polling place at the last
4election. The party which received the largest number of votes is entitled to one more
5inspector than the party receiving the next largest number of votes at each polling
6place. The same election officials may serve the electors of more than one ward where
7wards are combined under s. 5.15 (6) (b). If a municipality is not divided into wards,
8the ward requirements in this paragraph apply to the municipality at large.
AB339,4,219 (b) When a vacancy occurs, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment of the
10municipal clerk. The Except for a reserve inspector appointed under sub. (1), a
11vacancy shall be filled from the remaining names on the lists submitted under sub.
12(4) or from additional names submitted by the chairperson of the county party
13committee of the appropriate party under sub. (4) whenever names are submitted
14under sub. (4) (d). If the vacancy is due to candidacy, sickness or any other temporary
15cause, the appointment shall be a temporary appointment and effective only for the
16election at which the temporary vacancy occurs. The same qualifications that
17applied to original appointees
shall be required of persons who fill vacancies.
18Vacancies
, except that a vacancy may be filled in cases of emergency or because of
19time limitations by a person from another aldermanic district or ward within the
20municipality
by any qualified elector of this state without regard to the elector's
21municipality of residence, if the elector meets the other qualifications
.
AB339, s. 3 22Section 3. 7.30 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,5,523 7.30 (4) (a) Except in cities where there is a board of election commissioners,
24the mayor, president, or board chairperson of each municipality shall nominate to
25the governing body no later than their last regular meeting in December of each

1even-numbered year the necessary, regularly appointed election officials for each
2polling place. In addition, if authorized by the governing body, the mayor, president,
3or board chairperson may nominate electors to serve as reserve inspectors.
If no
4regular meeting is scheduled, the mayor, president, or chairperson shall call a special
5meeting for the purpose of considering nominations no later than December 31.
AB339, s. 4 6Section 4. 7.30 (4) (b) 1. and 2. of the statutes are amended to read:
AB339,5,217 7.30 (4) (b) 1. In cities where there is a board of election commissioners, the
8aldermanic district committeemen or committeewomen under s. 8.17 of each of the
92 dominant recognized political parties shall submit a certified list no later than
10November 30 of each even-numbered year containing the names of at least as many
11electors as there are regularly appointed inspectors from that party for each of the
12voting wards in the aldermanic district. The chairperson may designate any
13individual whose name is submitted as a first choice nominee. The board of election
14commissioners shall appoint, no later than December 31 of even-numbered years,
15at least 5 regularly appointed inspectors for each ward. The board of election
16commissioners shall appoint all first choice nominees for so long as positions are
17available, unless nonappointment is authorized under par. (e), and shall appoint
18other individuals in its discretion. The board of election commissioners may
19designate such alternates as it deems advisable. In addition, if authorized by the
20governing body, the board of election commissioners may appoint electors to serve as
21reserve inspectors.
AB339,7,1122 2. In municipalities other than cities and villages located in counties having a
23population of more than 500,000, the committees organized under s. 8.17 from each
24of the 2 dominant parties under sub. (2) shall submit a list containing at least as
25many names as there are needed appointees for regularly appointed inspector

1positions
from that party. The list shall be submitted by the chairperson of each of
2the 2 committees to the mayor, president, or chairperson of the municipality. If
3committees are organized in subdivisions of a city, the list shall be submitted through
4the chairperson of the city committee. If there is no municipal committee, the list
5shall be submitted by the chairperson of the county or legislative district committee.
6Except as provided in par. (c) and except for reserve inspectors appointed under sub.
7(1)
, only those persons submitted by the chairperson of each committee under s. 8.17
8may act as election officials. The chairperson may designate any individual whose
9name is submitted as a first choice nominee. The list shall contain the signature of
10the chairperson and secretary of the submitting committee. In cities or villages
11located in counties having a population of more than 500,000, other than cities where
12there is a board of election commissioners, the aldermanic district or village
13committeeman or committeewoman for the ward or wards where each polling place
14is located, if there is one, shall submit a list containing at least as many names as
15there are needed appointees for regularly appointed inspector positions from the
16party represented by the committeeman or committeewoman. For appointments of
17inspectors in cities and villages where there is no aldermanic district or village
18committeeman or committeewoman, nominations shall proceed in the same manner
19as in municipalities located in counties having a population of 500,000 or less. The
20list shall be submitted to the mayor or president. Except as provided in par. (c) and
21except for reserve inspectors appointed under sub. (1)
, only those persons whose
22names are submitted as provided in this paragraph may act as election officials. The
23committeeman or committeewoman may designate any individual whose name is
24submitted as a first choice nominee. The list shall contain the signature of the
25aldermanic district or village committeeman or committeewoman or the chairperson

1of the appropriate committee. Upon submission of each nominee's name, the
2governing body shall appoint each first choice nominee for so long as positions are
3available, unless nonappointment is authorized under par. (e), and shall appoint
4other nominees in its discretion. If any nominee is not appointed, the mayor,
5president, or chairperson of the municipality shall immediately nominate another
6person from the appropriate lists submitted and continue until the necessary
7number of election officials from each party is achieved at that meeting. In addition,
8except in municipalities where there is a board of election commissioners, if the
9governing body has provided for the appointment of reserve inspectors under sub.
10(1), the body may appoint those inspectors from nominations submitted under par.
11(a).
AB339, s. 5 12Section 5. 7.30 (4) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,7,2413 7.30 (4) (c) For so long as nominees are made available by the political parties
14under this section, appointments of regularly appointed inspectors may be made
15only from the lists of submitted nominees. If the lists are not submitted by November
1630 of the year in which appointments are to be made, the board of election
17commissioners shall appoint, or the mayor, president, or chairperson of a
18municipality shall nominate, qualified persons whose names have not been
19submitted. If an insufficient number of nominees appears on the lists as of
20November 30, the board of election commissioners shall similarly appoint, or the
21mayor, president, or chairperson shall similarly nominate, sufficient individuals to
22fill the remaining vacancies. Any appointment which is made due to the lack of
23availability of names submitted under par. (b) may be made without regard to party
24affiliation.
AB339, s. 6 25Section 6. 7.30 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,8,7
17.30 (5) Oath of office. Within 5 days after appointment of the an election
2officials official under this section, the municipal clerk shall give each appointee
3notice. The appointees shall file the official oath with the municipal clerk within 10
4days after the mailing of the notice. Appointees to fill vacancies or any other election
5official who has not filed the oath, before receiving any ballots, shall sign the oath
6and return it to the municipal clerk. An inspector, after taking the oath, may
7administer any oath required to conduct an election.
AB339, s. 7 8Section 7. 7.30 (6) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,8,129 7.30 (6) (a) The appointed election officials An election official appointed under
10this section
shall hold office for 2 years and until their successors are a successor is
11appointed and qualified. They shall serve at every election held in their ward during
12their term of office.
AB339, s. 8 13Section 8. 7.30 (6) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,8,1914 7.30 (6) (c) If any election official appointed under this section lacks the
15qualifications set forth in this section, fails to attend training sessions required
16under s. 7.15 (1) (e) unless excused therefrom, is guilty of neglecting his or her official
17duties, or commits official misconduct, the municipal clerk or board of election
18commissioners shall summarily remove the official from office and the vacancy shall
19be filled under sub. (2) (b).
AB339, s. 9 20Section 9. 7.33 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,9,321 7.33 (2) Service as an election official under this chapter shall be is mandatory
22upon all qualified electors for every elector appointed under s. 7.30, for every election
23held
during the full 2-year term, after which they shall be of office in the ward or
24election district for which the elector is appointed to serve or to which the elector is
25assigned. Upon completion of a 2-year term of service, an elector is
exempt from

1further service as an election official, under this chapter, until 3 terms of 2 years each
2have elapsed. Municipal clerks may grant exemptions from service at any time. This
3subsection does not apply to reserve inspectors appointed under s. 7.30 (1).
AB339, s. 10 4Section 10. 60.24 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB339,9,85 60.24 (3) (a) Nominate individuals for service as election officials to the town
6board whenever the town board disapproves the nominee of a party committee under
7s. 7.30 (4) and the names of additional nominees are not available or whenever the
8town board determines to appoint reserve inspectors under s. 7.30 (1)
.
AB339,9,99 (End)
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