5.62 (title) September Partisan primary ballots.
5.62 (1) (a) At September primaries
the partisan primary, the following ballot shall be provided for the nomination of candidates of recognized political parties for national, state and county offices and independent candidates for state office in each ward, in the same form as prescribed by the board under s. 7.08 (1) (a), except as authorized in s. 5.655. The ballots shall be made up of the several party tickets with each party entitled to participate in the primary under par. (b) or sub. (2) having its own ballot, except as authorized in s. 5.655. The ballots shall be secured together at the bottom. The party ballot of the party receiving the most votes for president or governor at the last general election shall be on top with the other parties arranged in descending order based on their vote for president or governor at the last general election. The ballots of parties qualifying under sub. (2) shall be placed after the parties qualifying under par. (b), in the same order in which the parties filed petitions with the board. Any ballot required under par. (b) 2. shall be placed next in order. At polling places where voting machines are used, each party shall be represented in one or more separate columns or rows on the ballot. At polling places where an electronic voting system is used other than an electronic voting machine, each party may be represented in separate columns or rows on the ballot.
75,9
Section
9. 5.62 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
5.62 (1) (b) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2. and s. 5.64 (1) (e) 2., every recognized political party listed on the official ballot at the last gubernatorial election whose candidate for any statewide office received at least 1% of the total votes cast for that office and, if the last general election was also a presidential election, every recognized political party listed on the ballot at that election whose candidate for president received at least 1% of the total vote cast for that office shall have a separate primary ballot or one or more separate columns or rows on the primary ballot as prescribed in par. (a) and a separate column on the general election ballot in every ward and election district. An organization which was listed as "independent" at the last general election and whose candidate meets the same qualification shall receive the same ballot status upon petition of the chairperson and secretary of the organization to the board requesting such status and specifying their party name, which may not duplicate the name of an existing party. A petition under this subdivision may be filed no later than 5 p.m. on June April 1 in the year of each general election.
2. Subdivision 1. applies to a party within any assembly district or county at any September partisan primary election only if at least one candidate of the party for any national, state or county office qualifies to have his or her name appear on the ballot under the name of that party within that assembly district or county. The county clerk or county board of election commissioners shall provide a combined separate ballot or one or more separate columns or rows on the ballot that will permit an elector to cast a vote for a write-in candidate for the nomination of any such party for each national, state and county office whenever that party qualifies to be represented on a separate primary ballot or in one or more separate columns or rows under subd. 1. but does not qualify under this subdivision. The ballot shall include the name of each party qualifying for a separate ballot or one or more separate columns or rows on the ballot under each office, with the names of the candidates for each such party appearing in the same order in which the ballots of the parties would appear under par. (a).
75,10
Section
10. 5.62 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
5.62 (2) (a) Except as provided in par. (b) and s. 5.64 (1) (e) 2., any political organization may be represented on a separate primary ballot or in one or more separate columns or rows on the primary ballot as prescribed in sub. (1) (a) and in a separate column on the general election ballot in every ward and election district. To qualify for a separate ballot under this paragraph, the political organization shall, not later than 5 p.m. on June
April 1 in the year of the September partisan primary, file with the board a petition requesting separate ballot status. The petition shall be signed by at least 10,000 electors, including at least 1,000 electors residing in each of at least 3 separate congressional districts. The petition shall conform to the requirements of s. 8.40. No signature obtained before January 1 in the year of filing is valid. When the candidates of a political organization filing a valid petition fulfill the requirements prescribed by law, they shall appear on a separate ballot or one or more separate columns or rows on the ballot for the period ending with the following general election.
(b) Paragraph (a) applies to a party within any assembly district or county at any September partisan primary election only if at least one candidate of the party for any national, state or county office qualifies to have his or her name appear on the ballot under the name of that party within that assembly district or county. The county clerk or county board of election commissioners shall provide a combined separate ballot or one or more separate columns or rows on the ballot that will permit an elector to cast a vote for a write-in candidate for the nomination of any such party for each national, state and county office whenever that party qualifies to be represented on a separate primary ballot or in one or more separate columns or rows under par. (a) but does not qualify under this paragraph. The ballot shall include the name of each party qualifying for a separate ballot or one or more separate columns or rows on the ballot under each office, with the names of the candidates for each such party appearing in the same order in which the ballots of the parties would appear under sub. (1) (a).
5.62 (3) The board shall designate the official primary ballot arrangement for statewide offices and district attorney within each prosecutorial district by using the same procedure as provided in s. 5.60 (1) (b). On each ballot and on each separate column or row on the ballot, the candidates for office shall be listed together with the offices which they seek in the following order whenever these offices appear on the September partisan primary ballot: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, U.S. senator, U.S. representative in congress, state senator, representative to the assembly, district attorney and the county offices.
75,12
Section
12. 6.22 (2) (e) of the statutes is created to read:
6.22 (2) (e) A military elector may file an application for an absentee ballot by means of electronic mail or facsimile transmission in the manner prescribed in s. 6.86 (1) (ac). Upon receipt of a valid application, the municipal clerk shall send the elector an absentee ballot or, if the elector is a military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), and the elector so requests, shall transmit an absentee ballot to the elector by means of electronic mail or facsimile transmission in the manner prescribed in s. 6.87 (3) (d).
75,13
Section
13. 6.22 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (4) (a) A request for an absentee ballot by an individual who qualifies as a military elector shall be treated as a request for an absentee ballot for all elections. Upon receiving a timely request for an absentee ballot under par. (b) by an individual who qualifies as a military elector, the municipal clerk shall send or, if the individual is a military elector as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), shall transmit to the elector upon the elector's request an absentee ballot for all elections that occur in the municipality or portion thereof where the elector resides beginning on the date that the clerk receives the request in the same calendar year in which the request is received, unless the individual otherwise requests.
75,14
Section
14. 6.22 (4) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (4) (c) A military elector may indicate an alternate address on his or her absentee ballot application. If the elector's ballot is returned as undeliverable prior to the deadline for return of absentee ballots under s. 6.87 (6), and the elector remains eligible to receive absentee ballots under this section, the municipal clerk shall immediately send or, if the elector is a military elector as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), transmit an absentee ballot to the elector at the alternate address.
75,15
Section
15. 6.22 (4) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (4) (e) Whenever the material is mailed, the material shall be prepared and mailed to make use of the federal free postage laws. If the material does not qualify for mailing without postage under federal free postage laws, the municipal clerk shall pay the postage required for mailing to the military elector. If the return envelope qualifies for mailing free of postage under federal free postage laws, the clerk shall affix the appropriate legend required by U.S. postal regulations. Otherwise the municipal clerk shall pay the postage required for return when the ballot is mailed from within the United States. If the ballot is not mailed by the military elector from within the United States the military elector shall provide return postage. The mailing list established under this subsection shall be kept current in the same manner as provided in s. 6.86 (2) (b).
75,16
Section
16. 6.22 (4) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (4) (f) If there occur 2 successive general elections at which a military elector fails to return an absentee ballot sent or transmitted to the elector under par. (a) and the elector has not cast an absentee ballot at any intervening election, if the municipal clerk is reliably informed that the elector an individual who requests an absentee ballot under this section is no longer a military elector or no longer resides in the municipality, or if the elector so requests, the clerk shall discontinue sending or transmitting absentee ballots to the elector under this subsection. If a military elector who has requested an absentee ballot changes his or her residence from the municipality where a request is filed to another municipality in this state, the municipal clerk of the municipality who received the request shall notify the clerk of the municipality to which the elector's residence is changed of the date of the request or the latest renewal under par. (g) and the date of the most recent absentee ballot received by the clerk. The municipal clerk who is so notified shall treat the request as having been made to him or her.
75,17
Section
17. 6.22 (4) (g) of the statutes is repealed.
75,18
Section
18. 6.22 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (5) Voting procedure. Except as provided in s. 6.221 7.515 and as authorized in s. 6.25, the ballot shall be marked and returned, deposited and recorded in the same manner as other absentee ballots. In addition, the certification under s. 6.87 (2) shall have a statement of the elector's birth date. Failure to return any unused ballots in a primary election does not invalidate the ballot on which the elector casts his or her votes.
75,19
Section
19. 6.22 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (6) Military elector list. Each municipal clerk shall keep an up-to-date list of all eligible military electors who reside in the municipality; city clerks shall keep the lists by wards in the format prescribed by the board. The list shall contain the name, latest-known military residence and military mailing address of each military elector. The list shall indicate whether each elector whose name appears on the list is a military elector, as defined in s. 6.36 (2) (c) 6.34 (1), and has so certified under s. 6.865 (3m). All persons over 18 years of age or who will be 18 years old prior to an election shall be listed and remain on the list for the duration of their tour of duty. The list shall be kept current through all possible means. Each clerk shall exercise reasonable care to avoid duplication of names or listing anyone who is not eligible to vote. Each clerk shall distribute 2 copies of one copy of the list to the appropriate ward each polling place in the municipality for use on election day.
75,20
Section
20. 6.221 (title) of the statutes is renumbered 7.515 (title) and amended to read:
7.515 (title) Counting of certain absentee ballots for certain military electors; September primary and general election received after election day
.
75,21
Section
21. 6.221 (1) of the statutes is repealed.
75,22
Section
22. 6.221 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 7.515 (2) and amended to read:
7.515 (2) Each certificate envelope that is mailed
or transmitted to a military an absentee elector and each certificate envelope that is transmitted to a military or overseas elector under s. 6.87 (3) (d) under this section shall be clearly labeled as "Cast by a military an absentee elector under s. 6.221 7.515, Wis. Stats., and may be eligible to be counted after election day."
75,23
Section
23. 6.221 (3) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 7.515 (3) and amended to read:
7.515 (3) At the September primary, a A ballot that is cast under s. 6.22 by an absentee elector who is a military elector, that is received by mail from the U. S. postal service, and that is postmarked no later than election day shall be counted as provided in this section if it is received by a municipal clerk no later than 5 4 p.m. on the 7th day Friday after the election.
75,24
Section
24. 6.221 (3) (b) of the statutes is repealed.
75,25
Section
25. 6.221 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 7.515 (4).
75,26
Section
26. 6.221 (5) of the statutes is renumbered 7.515 (5) and amended to read:
7.515 (5) No later than the closing hour of the polls on the day of the September primary and the day of the general each election, the municipal clerk of each municipality shall post at his or her office and on the Internet at a site announced by the clerk before the polls open, and shall make available to any person upon request, a statement of the number of absentee ballots that the clerk has mailed or transmitted to military absentee electors under this section and that have not been returned to the polling places where the electors reside by the closing hour on election day. The posting shall not include the names or addresses of any military absentee electors.
75,27
Section
27. 6.221 (6) of the statutes is renumbered 7.515 (6) and amended to read:
7.515 (6) (a) Whenever the municipal clerk of any municipality receives an absentee ballot cast by an absentee elector who is a military elector under this section and the ballot is not received in sufficient time for delivery to the polling place serving the residence of the elector on election day but is received within the time specified in sub. (3), the clerk shall promptly provide written notice to the board of canvassers of each municipality, special purpose district, and county that is responsible for canvassing the election of the number of such ballots that have been cast received by the clerk in each ward or election district.
(b) Whenever a board of canvassers receives notification from a municipal clerk under par. (a), the board of canvassers shall reconvene no later than 9 a.m. on the day after the last day permitted for acceptance of absentee ballots under sub. (3) and shall proceed to open and record the names of the military absentee electors whose ballots have been received. If the ballot cast by a military an absentee elector is otherwise valid, the board of canvassers shall count the ballot and adjust the statements, certifications, and determinations accordingly. If the municipal clerk transmits returns of the election to the county clerk, the municipal clerk shall transmit to the county clerk a copy of the amended returns together with all additional ballots and envelopes reviewed by the board of canvassers and with amended tally sheets.
75,28
Section
28. 6.24 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.24 (1) Definition. In this section,
except as otherwise provided, "overseas elector" means a U.S. citizen who is not disqualified from voting under s. 6.03, who has attained or will attain the age of 18 by the date of an election at which the citizen proposes to vote and who does not qualify as a resident of this state under s. 6.10, but who was last domiciled in this state or whose parent was last domiciled in this state immediately prior to the parent's departure from the United States, and who is not registered to vote or voting in any other state, territory or possession.
75,29
Section
29. 6.24 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.24 (2) Eligibility. An overseas elector under sub. (1) may vote in any election for national office, including the September partisan primary and presidential preference primary and any special primary or election. Such elector may not vote in an election for state or local office. An overseas elector shall vote in the ward or election district in which the elector was last domiciled or in which the elector's parent was last domiciled prior to departure from the United States.
6.24 (4) (c) Upon receipt of a timely application from an individual who qualifies as an overseas elector and who has registered to vote in a municipality under sub. (3), the municipal clerk of the municipality shall send or transmit, or if the individual is an overseas elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (b), shall transmit an absentee ballot to the individual upon the individual's request for all subsequent elections for national office to be held during the year in which the ballot is requested, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, unless the individual otherwise requests or until the individual no longer qualifies as an overseas elector. of the municipality. The clerk shall not send an absentee ballot for an election if the overseas elector's name appeared on the registration list in eligible status for a previous election following the date of the application but no longer appears on the list in eligible status. The municipal clerk shall ensure that the envelope containing the absentee ballot is clearly marked as not forwardable. If an overseas elector who files an application under this subsection no longer resides at the same address that is indicated on the application form, the elector shall so notify the municipal clerk.
75,31
Section
31. 6.24 (4) (e) of the statutes is created to read:
6.24 (4) (e) An overseas elector may file an application for an absentee ballot by means of electronic mail or facsimile transmission in the manner prescribed in s. 6.86 (1) (ac). Upon receipt of a valid application, the municipal clerk shall send the elector an absentee ballot or, if the elector is an overseas elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (b) and the elector so requests, shall transmit an absentee ballot to the elector by means of electronic mail or facsimile transmission in the manner prescribed in s. 6.87 (3) (d).
75,32
Section
32. 6.25 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 6.25 (1) (a) and amended to read:
6.25
(1) (a) Any individual who qualifies as a military elector under s. 6.22 (1) (b)
or an overseas elector under s. 6.24 (1) and who transmits an application for an official absentee ballot for
a general election
any election, including a primary election, no later than
30 days before election day the latest time specified for the elector in s. 6.86 (1) (b) may, in lieu of the official ballot, cast a federal write-in absentee ballot prescribed under
42 USC 1973ff-2 for any candidate
for an office listed on the official ballot or for all of the candidates of any recognized political party for
national office the offices listed on the official ballot at
the general that election if the federal write-in absentee ballot is received by the appropriate municipal clerk no later than the
applicable time prescribed in s.
6.221 (3) or 6.87 (6).
75,33
Section
33. 6.25 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
6.25
(1) (b) Any individual who qualifies as an overseas elector under s. 6.24 (1) and who transmits an application for an official absentee ballot for an election for national office, including a primary election, no later than the latest time specified for an elector in s. 6.86 (1) (b) may, in lieu of the official ballot, cast a federal write-in absentee ballot prescribed under
42 USC 1973ff-2 for any candidate or for all candidates of any recognized political party for national office listed on the official ballot at that election, if the federal write-in absentee ballot is received by the appropriate municipal clerk no later than the applicable time prescribed in s. 6.221 (3) or 6.87 (6).
75,34
Section
34. 6.25 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
6.25 (1) (c) A completed and signed federal write-in absentee ballot submitted by a qualified elector under par. (a) serves as an application for an absentee ballot and need not be accompanied by a separate application.
75,35
Section
35. 6.25 (2) of the statutes is repealed.
75,36
Section
36. 6.25 (3) of the statutes is repealed.
75,37
Section
37. 6.25 (4) (intro.), (a) and (b) of the statutes are consolidated, renumbered 6.25 (4) and amended to read:
6.25 (4) A write-in absentee ballot issued under sub. (1), (2) or (3) is valid only if all of the following apply: (a) The ballot is submitted from a location outside the United States. (b) The the elector submitting the ballot does not submit an official ballot within the time prescribed in s. 6.87 (6) and, if the elector is an overseas elector, the elector resides outside the United States.
75,38
Section
38. 6.36 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.36 (1) (a) The board shall compile and maintain electronically an official registration list. The list shall contain the name and address of each registered elector in the state, the date of birth of the elector, the ward and aldermanic district of the elector, if any, and, for each elector, a unique registration identification number assigned by the board, the number of a valid operator's license issued to the elector under ch. 343, if any, or the last 4 digits of the elector's social security account number, if any, any identification serial number issued to the elector under s. 6.47 (3), the date of any election in which the elector votes, an indication of whether the elector is a military elector, as defined in sub. (2) (c) who has so certified under s. 6.865 (3m), an indication of whether the elector is an overseas elector, as defined in s. 6.24 (1), any information relating to the elector that appears on the current list transmitted to the board by the department of corrections under s. 301.03 (20m), an indication of any accommodation required under s. 5.25 (4) (a) to permit voting by the elector, an indication of the method by which the elector's registration form was received, and such other information as may be determined by the board to facilitate administration of elector registration requirements.
75,39
Section
39. 6.50 (8) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.50 (8) Any municipal governing body may direct the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners to arrange with the U.S. postal service pursuant to applicable federal regulations, to receive change of address information with respect to individuals residing within the municipality for revision of the elector registration list. If required by the U.S. postal service, the governing body may create a registration commission consisting of the municipal clerk or executive director of the board of election commissioners and 2 other electors of the municipality appointed by the clerk or executive director for the purpose of making application for address changes and processing the information received. The municipal clerk or executive director shall act as chairperson of the commission. Any authorization under this subsection shall be for a definite period or until the municipal governing body otherwise determines. The procedure shall apply uniformly to the entire municipality whenever used. The procedure shall provide for receipt of complete change of address information on an automatic basis, or not less often than once every 2 years during the 60 days preceding the close of registration for the September partisan primary. If a municipality adopts the procedure for obtaining address corrections under this subsection, it need not comply with the procedure for mailing address verification cards under subs. (1) and (2).
75,40
Section
40. 6.86 (1) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.86 (1) (a) (intro.) Any elector of a municipality who is registered to vote whenever required and who qualifies under ss. 6.20 and 6.85 as an absent elector may make written application to the municipal clerk of that municipality for an official ballot by one of the following methods:
75,41
Section
41. 6.86 (1) (a) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:
6.86 (1) (a) 3. By signing a statement and filing a request to receive absentee ballots under sub. (2) or (2m) (a) or s. 6.22 (4), 6.24 (4), or 6.25 (1) (c).
75,42
Section
42. 6.86 (1) (ac) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.86 (1) (ac) Any elector qualifying under par. (a) may make written application to the municipal clerk for an official ballot by means of facsimile transmission or electronic mail. Any application under this paragraph shall need not contain a copy of the applicant's original signature. An elector requesting a ballot under this paragraph shall return with the voted ballot a copy of the request bearing an original signature of the elector as provided in s. 6.87 (4).
6.86 (1) (b) Except as provided in this section, if application is made by mail, the application shall be received no later than 5 p.m. on the 5th day immediately preceding the election. If application is made in person, the application shall be made no earlier than the opening of business on the 3rd Monday preceding the election and no later than 5 p.m. or the close of business, whichever is later, on the Friday preceding the election. Except as provided in par. (c), if the elector is making written application for an absentee ballot at the September
partisan primary or, the general election
, the presidential preference primary, or a special election for national office, and the application indicates that the elector is a military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1), the application shall be received by the municipal clerk no later than 5 p.m. on election day. If the application indicates that the reason for requesting an absentee ballot is that the elector is a sequestered juror, the application shall be received no later than 5 p.m. on election day. If the application is received after 5 p.m. on the Friday immediately preceding the election, the municipal clerk or the clerk's agent shall immediately take the ballot to the court in which the elector is serving as a juror and deposit it with the judge. The judge shall recess court, as soon as convenient, and give the elector the ballot. The judge shall then witness the voting procedure as provided in s. 6.87 and shall deliver the ballot to the clerk or agent of the clerk who shall deliver it to the polling place or, in municipalities where absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, to the municipal clerk as required in s. 6.88. If application is made under sub. (2) or (2m), the application may be received no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday immediately preceding the election.
75,44
Section
44. 6.865 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.865 (title) Federal absentee ballot requests ballots.
75,45
Section
45. 6.865 (3) of the statutes is repealed.
75,46
Section
46. 6.865 (3m) (a) of the statutes is repealed.
75,47
Section
47. 6.865 (3m) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 6.865 (3m) and amended to read:
6.865 (3m) A military elector may indicate an alternate address on his or her absentee ballot application. If the elector's ballot is returned as undeliverable prior to the deadline for receipt and return of absentee ballots under sub. (3) s. 6.87 (6) and the elector remains eligible to receive absentee ballots under this subsection, the municipal clerk shall immediately send or transmit an absentee ballot to the elector at the alternate address.
75,48
Section
48. 6.865 (3m) (c) of the statutes is repealed.
6.869 Uniform instructions. The board shall prescribe uniform instructions for municipalities to provide to absentee electors. The instructions shall include the specific means of electronic communication that an absentee elector may use to file an application for an absentee ballot and, if the absentee elector is required to register, to request a registration form or change his or her registration. The instructions shall include information concerning whether proof of identification is required to be presented or enclosed under s. 6.86 (1) (ar) or 6.87 (4) (b) 1. The instructions shall also include information concerning the procedure for correcting errors in marking a ballot and obtaining a replacement for a spoiled ballot. The procedure shall, to the extent possible, respect the privacy of each elector and preserve the confidentiality of each elector's vote.
6.87 (3) (d) A municipal clerk shall, if the clerk is reliably informed by an absent elector a military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), or an overseas elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (b), of a facsimile transmission number or electronic mail address where the elector can receive an absentee ballot, transmit a facsimile or electronic copy of the absent elector's ballot to that elector in lieu of mailing under this subsection. An elector may receive an absentee ballot only if the elector is a military elector or an overseas elector under s. 6.34 (1) and has filed a valid application for the ballot under as provided in s. 6.86 (1). If the clerk transmits an absentee ballot to an absentee a military or overseas elector electronically, the clerk shall also transmit a facsimile or electronic copy of the text of the material that appears on the certificate envelope prescribed in sub. (2), together with instructions prescribed by the board. The instructions shall require the absent military or overseas elector to make and subscribe to the certification as required under sub. (4) (b) and to enclose the absentee ballot in a separate envelope contained within a larger envelope, that shall include the completed certificate. The elector shall then affix sufficient postage unless the absentee ballot qualifies for mailing free of postage under federal free postage laws and shall mail the absentee ballot to the municipal clerk. Except as authorized in s. 6.97 (2), an absentee ballot received from an a military or overseas elector who receives the ballot electronically shall not be counted unless it is cast in the manner prescribed in this paragraph and in accordance with the instructions provided by the board.
6.87 (6) Except as provided in s. 6.221 7.515 (3), the ballot shall be returned so it is received by the municipal clerk no later than 8 p.m. on election day. Except in municipalities where absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, if the municipal clerk receives an absentee ballot on election day, the clerk shall secure the ballot and cause the ballot to be delivered to the polling place serving the elector's residence before the closing hour. Except as provided in s. 6.221 7.515 (3), any ballot not mailed or delivered as provided in this subsection may not be counted.
6.875 (3) An occupant of a nursing home or qualified retirement home, qualified community-based residential facility, qualified residential care apartment complex, or qualified adult family home who qualifies as an absent elector and desires to receive an absentee ballot shall make application under s. 6.86 (1), (2), or (2m) with the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of the municipality in which the elector is a resident. The clerk or board of election commissioners of a municipality receiving an application from an elector who is an occupant of a nursing home or qualified retirement home, qualified community-based residential facility, qualified residential care apartment complex, or qualified adult family home located in a different municipality shall, as soon as possible, notify and transmit send an absentee ballot for the elector to the clerk or board of election commissioners of the municipality in which the home, facility, or complex is located. The clerk or board of election commissioners of a municipality receiving an application from an elector who is an occupant of a nursing home or qualified retirement home, qualified community-based residential facility, qualified residential care apartment complex, or qualified adult family home located in the municipality but who is a resident of a different municipality shall, as soon as possible, notify and request transmission of an absentee ballot from the clerk or board of election commissioners of the municipality in which the elector is a resident. The clerk or board of election commissioners shall make a record of all absentee ballots to be transmitted sent, delivered, and voted under this section.
75,53
Section
53. 6.88 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.88 (1) When an absentee ballot arrives at the office of the municipal clerk, or at an alternate site under s. 6.855, if applicable, the clerk shall enclose it, unopened, in a carrier envelope which shall be securely sealed and endorsed with the name and official title of the clerk, and the words "This envelope contains the ballot of an absent elector and must be opened in the same room where votes are being cast at the polls during polling hours on election day or, in municipalities where absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, stats., at a meeting of the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers under s. 7.52, stats.". If the elector is a military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), or an overseas elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (b), and the ballot was received by the elector by facsimile transmission or electronic mail and is accompanied by a separate certificate, the clerk shall enclose the ballot in a certificate envelope and securely append the completed certificate to the outside of the envelope before enclosing the ballot in the carrier envelope. The clerk shall keep the ballot in the clerk's office or at the alternate site, if applicable until delivered, as required in sub. (2).
75,54
Section
54. 6.88 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.88 (3) (b) When the inspectors find that a certification is insufficient, that the applicant is not a qualified elector in the ward or election district, that the ballot envelope is open or has been opened and resealed, that the ballot envelope contains more than one ballot of any one kind or, except in municipalities where absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, that the certificate of an a military or overseas elector who received an absentee ballot by facsimile transmission or electronic mail is missing, or if proof is submitted to the inspectors that an elector voting an absentee ballot has since died, the inspectors shall not count the ballot. The inspectors shall endorse every ballot not counted on the back, "rejected (giving the reason)". The inspectors shall reinsert each rejected ballot into the certificate envelope in which it was delivered and enclose the certificate envelopes and ballots, and securely seal the ballots and envelopes in an envelope marked for rejected absentee ballots. The inspectors shall endorse the envelope, "rejected ballots" with a statement of the ward or election district and date of the election, signed by the chief inspector and one of the inspectors representing each of the 2 major political parties and returned to the municipal clerk in the same manner as official ballots voted at the election.