2017 WISCONSIN ACT 369
An Act to repeal 6.34 (1) (b), 6.87 (4) (a) 2., 16.84 (5) (d), 165.055 (3), 230.08 (2) (sb) and 238.399 (3) (e); to renumber and amend 13.90 (3), 165.08, 165.25 (6) (a), 227.40 (3) (intro.), 227.40 (3) (a) and 343.50 (1) (c); to consolidate, renumber and amend 6.34 (1) (intro.) and (a) and 6.87 (4) (a) (intro.) and 1.; to amend 5.02 (6m) (f), 5.05 (13) (c), 5.05 (13) (d) 1., 6.22 (2) (b), 6.22 (2) (e), 6.22 (4) (a), 6.22 (4) (c), 6.24 (2), 6.24 (4) (c), 6.24 (4) (d), 6.24 (4) (e), 6.25 (1) (b), 6.276 (1), 6.86 (1) (b), 6.865 (1), 6.87 (2), 6.87 (3) (d), 6.87 (4) (b) 1., 6.88 (1), 6.97 (1), 7.15 (1) (cm), 7.15 (1) (j), 13.56 (2), 13.90 (2), 13.91 (1) (c), 20.455 (1) (gh), 20.455 (2) (gb), 20.455 (3) (g), 45.57, 165.10, 165.25 (1), 165.25 (1m), 227.01 (13) (intro.), subchapter II (title) of chapter 227 [precedes 227.10], 227.11 (title), 227.13, 227.40 (1), 227.40 (2) (intro.), 227.40 (2) (e), 227.40 (3) (b) and (c), 227.40 (4) (a), 227.40 (6), 227.57 (11), 238.02 (1), 238.02 (2), 238.03 (2) (c), 238.03 (2) (e), 238.16 (5) (e), 238.306 (1) (a), 238.308 (5) (b), 238.395 (3) (d), 238.396 (4) (d), 238.399 (3) (a), 238.399 (6) (f), 281.665 (5) (d), 343.50 (3) (b), 801.50 (3) (b), 806.04 (11), 809.13 and subchapter VIII (title) of chapter 893 [precedes 893.80]; and to create 5.02 (12n), 6.855 (5), 13.124, 13.127, 13.365, 13.90 (3) (a) and (b), 16.84 (2m), 16.973 (15), 35.93 (2) (b) 3. im., 227.01 (3m), 227.05, 227.10 (2g), 227.11 (3), 227.112, 227.26 (2) (im), 238.04 (15), 238.399 (3) (am), 301.03 (16), 343.165 (8), 343.50 (1) (c) 2., 343.50 (3) (c), 803.09 (2m) and 893.825 of the statutes; relating to: legislative powers and duties, state agency and authority composition and operations, absentee ballots, and administrative rule-making process.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
369,1
Section 1
. 5.02 (6m) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
5.02 (6m) (f) An unexpired identification card issued by a university or college in this state that is accredited, as defined in s. 39.30 (1) (d), or by a technical college in this state that is a member of and governed by the technical college system under ch. 38, that contains the date of issuance and signature of the individual to whom it is issued and that contains an expiration date indicating that the card expires no later than 2 years after the date of issuance if the individual establishes that he or she is enrolled as a student at the university or college on the date that the card is presented.
369,1b
Section 1b. 5.02 (12n) of the statutes is created to read:
5.02 (12n) “Overseas elector" means a U.S. citizen who is residing outside of the United States, 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, 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.
369,1c
Section 1c. 5.05 (13) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
5.05 (13) (c) The commission shall maintain a freely accessible system under which a military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), or an overseas elector
, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (b), who casts an absentee ballot may ascertain whether the ballot has been received by the appropriate municipal clerk.
369,1d
Section 1d. 5.05 (13) (d) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
5.05 (13) (d) 1. To permit a military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (a), or an overseas elector
, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) (b), to request a voter registration application or an application for an absentee ballot at any election at which the elector is qualified to vote in this state.
369,1e
Section 1e. 6.22 (2) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (2) (b) A military elector shall make and subscribe to the certification under s. 6.87 (2) before a witness who is an adult U.S. citizen.
369,1f
Section 1f. 6.22 (2) (e) of the statutes is amended 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).
369,1fg
Section 1fg. 6.22 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.22 (4) (a) 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 in the same calendar year in which the request is received, unless the individual otherwise requests.
369,1fm
Section 1fm. 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.
369,1g
Section 1g. 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 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 unless the elector qualifies as a resident of this state under s. 6.10. 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.
369,1gc
Section 1gc. 6.24 (4) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
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 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.
369,1gd
Section 1gd. 6.24 (4) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.24 (4) (d) An overseas elector, regardless of whether the elector qualifies as a resident of this state under s. 6.10, who is not registered may request both a registration form and an absentee ballot at the same time, and the municipal clerk shall send or transmit the ballot automatically if the registration form is received within the time prescribed in s. 6.28 (1). The commission shall prescribe a special certificate form for the envelope in which the absentee ballot for such overseas electors is contained, which shall be substantially similar to that provided under s. 6.87 (2). An The overseas elector shall make and subscribe to the special certificate form before a witness who is an adult U.S. citizen.
369,1gf
Section 1gf. 6.24 (4) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.24 (4) (e) An overseas elector, regardless of whether the elector qualifies as a resident of this state under s. 6.10, 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).
369,1h
Section 1h. 6.25 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.25
(1) (b) Any individual who qualifies as an overseas elector
under s. 6.24 (1), regardless of whether the elector qualifies as a resident of this state under s. 6.10, 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. 6.87 (6).
369,1i
Section 1i. 6.276 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.276 (1) In this section, “military elector"
and “overseas elector" have has the meanings meaning given in s. 6.34 (1).
369,1j
Section 1j. 6.34 (1) (intro.) and (a) of the statutes are consolidated, renumbered 6.34 (1) and amended to read:
6.34 (1) In this section: (a) “Military, “military elector" means a member of a uniformed service on active duty who, by reason of that duty, is absent from the residence where the member is otherwise qualified to vote; a member of the merchant marine, as defined in s. 6.22 (1) (a), who by reason of service in the merchant marine, is absent from the residence where the member is otherwise qualified to vote; or the spouse or dependent of any such member who, by reason of the duty or service of the member, is absent from the residence where the spouse or dependent is otherwise qualified to vote.
369,1jb
Section 1jb. 6.34 (1) (b) of the statutes is repealed.
369,1js
Section 1js. 6.855 (5) of the statutes is created to read:
6.855 (5) A governing body may designate more than one alternate site under sub. (1).
369,1k
Section 1k. 6.86 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
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 14 days preceding the election and no later than 7 p.m. on the Friday Sunday preceding the election. No application may be received on a legal holiday. An application made in person may only be received Monday to Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day. A municipality shall specify the hours in the notice under s. 10.01 (2) (e). The municipal clerk or an election official shall witness the certificate for any in-person absentee ballot cast. Except as provided in par. (c), if the elector is making written application for an absentee ballot at the partisan primary, 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.
369,1L
Section 1L. 6.865 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.865 (1) In this section, “military elector"
and "overseas elector" have has the meanings meaning given under s. 6.34 (1).
369,1m
Section 1m. 6.87 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
6.87 (2) Except as authorized under sub. (3) (d), the municipal clerk shall place the ballot in an unsealed envelope furnished by the clerk. The envelope shall have the name, official title and post-office address of the clerk upon its face. The other side of the envelope shall have a printed certificate which shall include a space for the municipal clerk or deputy clerk to enter his or her initials indicating that if the absentee elector voted in person under s. 6.86 (1) (ar), the elector presented proof of identification to the clerk and the clerk verified the proof presented. The certificate shall also include a space for the municipal clerk or deputy clerk to enter his or her initials indicating that the elector is exempt from providing proof of identification because the individual is a military elector or an overseas elector who does not qualify as a resident of this state under s. 6.10 or is exempted from providing proof of identification under sub. (4) (b) 2. or 3. The certificate shall be in substantially the following form:
[STATE OF ....
County of ....]
or
[(name of foreign country and city or other jurisdictional unit)]
I, ...., certify subject to the penalties of s. 12.60 (1) (b), Wis. Stats., for false statements, that I am a resident of the [.... ward of the] (town) (village) of ...., or of the .... aldermanic district in the city of ...., residing at ....* in said city, the county of ...., state of Wisconsin, and am entitled to vote in the (ward) (election district) at the election to be held on ....; that I am not voting at any other location in this election; that I am unable or unwilling to appear at the polling place in the (ward) (election district) on election day or have changed my residence within the state from one ward or election district to another later than 28 days before the election. I certify that I exhibited the enclosed ballot unmarked to the witness, that I then in (his) (her) presence and in the presence of no other person marked the ballot and enclosed and sealed the same in this envelope in such a manner that no one but myself and any person rendering assistance under s. 6.87 (5), Wis. Stats., if I requested assistance, could know how I voted.
Signed ....
Identification serial number, if any: ....
The witness shall execute the following:
I, the undersigned witness, subject to the penalties of s. 12.60 (1) (b), Wis. Stats., for false statements, certify that I am an adult U.S. citizen** and that the above statements are true and the voting procedure was executed as there stated. I am not a candidate for any office on the enclosed ballot (except in the case of an incumbent municipal clerk). I did not solicit or advise the elector to vote for or against any candidate or measure.
....(Name Printed name)
....(Address)***
Signed ....
* — An elector who provides an identification serial number issued under s. 6.47 (3), Wis. Stats., need not provide a street address.
** — An individual who serves as a witness for a military elector or an overseas elector voting absentee, regardless of whether the elector qualifies as a resident of Wisconsin under s. 6.10, Wis. Stats., need not be a U.S. citizen but must be 18 years of age or older.
*** — If this form is executed before 2 special voting deputies under s. 6.875 (6), Wis. Stats., both deputies shall witness and sign.
