6.33
6.33
Registration forms. 6.33(1)(1) The municipal clerk shall supply sufficient registration forms as prescribed by the board printed on loose-leaf sheets or cards to obtain from each applicant information as to name, date, residence location, citizenship, age, whether the applicant has resided within the ward or election district for at least 10 days, whether the applicant has lost his or her right to vote, and whether the applicant is currently registered to vote at any other location, and shall provide a space for the applicant's signature. The forms shall also include a space for the identification serial number of any elector who is issued such a number under
s. 6.47 (3). Each register of deeds shall obtain sufficient registration forms at the expense of the unit of government by which he or she is employed for completion by any elector who desires to register to vote.
6.33(2)(a)(a) The information may be recorded by any person, but the applicant shall sign his or her own name unless the applicant is unable to sign his or her name due to physical disability. In such case, the applicant may authorize another elector to sign the form on his or her behalf. If the applicant so authorizes, the elector signing the form shall attest to a statement that the application is made upon request and by authorization of a named elector who is unable to sign the form due to physical disability. Ward and aldermanic district information shall be filled in by the clerk.
6.33(2)(b)
(b) Except as provided under
ss. 6.30 (4) and
6.86 (3) (a) 2., the registration form shall be signed by the registering elector and any corroborating elector under
s. 6.29 (2) (a) or
6.55 (2) before the clerk, issuing officer or registration deputy. The form shall contain a certification by the registering elector that all statements are true and correct.
6.33(3)
(3) The registration form may include a space for a voting record to be filled in by the municipal clerk. If the form does not include such a space, voting record information shall be maintained separately by the municipal clerk in such form that it may be retrieved by computer.
6.33(4)
(4) When an individual's registration is canceled, the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners shall enter the date and reason for cancellation on the individual's registration form.
6.35
6.35
Filing registration forms. 6.35(1)
(1) Under the direction of the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners, the original registration forms shall be filed in one of the following ways, except as provided in
sub. (1m):
6.35(1)(a)
(a) In alphabetical order of the electors' names.
6.35(1)(b)
(b) In alphabetical order according to street names, in numerical order on each street and in alphabetical order of the electors' names at each address on the street.
6.35(1m)
(1m) Original registration forms of electors who have obtained a confidential listing under
s. 6.47 (2) shall be filed in alphabetical order after the forms of the other electors.
6.35(2)
(2) Registration forms shall be kept on file in the office of the municipal clerk. When the original forms are used on election day, they shall be returned to the clerk within 2 days after the election.
6.35(3)
(3) In municipalities employing data processing for keeping of registration records, original registration forms shall be maintained in the office of the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners at all times.
6.35(5)
(5) Duplicate registration forms shall be maintained by municipalities not employing data processing. Duplicates shall be filed in the same order as originals, except that duplicates shall be filed for the entire municipality without regard to wards.
6.35(6)
(6) Original registration forms in municipalities not employing data processing shall be maintained by ward. Original registration forms in municipalities employing data processing need not be maintained by ward, but the data processing system employed shall enable retrieval of the registration list by ward.
6.36
6.36
Official registration list. 6.36(1)
(1) The municipal clerk shall compile a registration list for use in each ward following the arrangement for registration forms under
s. 6.35.
6.36(2)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), the registration lists shall contain the full name and address of each registered elector, a blank column for the entry of the serial number of the electors when they vote, and a form of a certificate stating that each list is a true and complete combined check and registration list of the respective wards.
6.36(2)(b)
(b) If an elector obtains a confidential listing under
s. 6.47 (2), the registration list shall be prepared such that the address of the elector does not appear on copies of the list that are used at polling places.
6.36(3)
(3) Municipalities shall prepare at least 2 copies of the registration list for each ward and bind them in book form. The original registration forms constitute the official registration list and shall be controlling whenever discrepancies occur.
6.36(4)
(4) The names and identification serial numbers of electors who have obtained a confidential listing under
s. 6.47 (2) shall appear separately after the remainder of the list. These names and serial numbers shall be arranged alphabetically by last name.
6.40
6.40
Transferring registration. 6.40(1)(a)(a)
Within municipality. Any registered elector shall transfer registration after a change of residence within the municipality in which he or she is registered by appearing in person or by mailing to the municipal clerk a signed request stating his or her present address, affirming that this will be the elector's residence for 10 days prior to the election and providing the address where he or she was last registered. Alternatively, the elector may transfer his or her registration at the proper polling place or other registration location under
s. 6.02 (2) in accordance with
s. 6.55 (2) (a). If an elector is voting at a former ward or election district, the change shall be effective for the next election.
6.40(1)(b)
(b)
Within state. Any elector who changes residence within this state from one municipality to another shall give his or her previous residence upon application for registration at the new residence and shall sign an authorization to cancel voting privileges at the former residence on a form prescribed by the board and furnished by each municipality. The cancellation authorization shall be forwarded to the proper election officials no later than 3 days after the close of registration. Such elector may also transfer his or her registration at the proper polling place or other registration location as provided in
s. 6.55 (2) (a).
6.40(1)(c)
(c)
Name change. Whenever an elector's name is legally changed, including a change by marriage or divorce, the elector shall transfer his or her registration to his or her legal name by appearing in person or mailing to the municipal clerk a signed request for a transfer of registration to such name. Alternatively, a registered elector may make notification of a name change at his or her polling place under
s. 6.55 (2) (d).
6.40(2)(a)(a) Municipal clerks may transfer any elector's registration upon receipt of reliable information that the elector has changed residence within the municipality. The clerk shall mail the elector a notice of the transfer.
6.40(2)(b)
(b) In addition to the revision which is required under
s. 6.50, municipal clerks may conduct door-to-door and mail registration canvasses at any time. The door-to-door canvass shall consist of both the deletion from the registration list of the names of electors who no longer reside at the address for which they are registered and the addition to the registration list of the names of electors who reside at that address. The mail canvass shall consist of the municipal clerk examining the registration records and canceling the registration of electors after the mailing of notices in accordance with
s. 6.50 (1) and
(2) or
(2m). The mail canvass may also consist of adding to the registration list the names of eligible electors. Both door-to-door and mail canvasses whenever made shall be made throughout the municipality in a uniform manner. An elector who wishes to obtain a confidential listing under
s. 6.47 (2) shall register at the office of the municipal clerk of the municipality where the elector resides.
6.40(3)
(3) Recording changes. All changes of names and addresses under this section shall be filed with the municipal clerk and the clerk shall then correct the official registration list.
6.45
6.45
Access to registration list. 6.45(1)
(1) After the deadline for revision of the registration list, the municipal clerk shall make copies of the list for election use. The registration list and any supplemental lists which are prepared at polling places or other registration locations under
s. 6.55, shall be open to public inspection. Under the regulations prescribed by the municipal clerk, any person may copy the registration list at the office of the clerk. A registration list maintained at a polling place may be examined by any person who is observing the proceedings under
s. 7.41 when such use does not interfere with the conduct of the election.
6.45(1m)
(1m) The registration list and any supplemental lists which are prepared at polling places or other registration locations under
s. 6.55, shall be open to public inspection. Under the regulations prescribed by the municipal clerk, any person may copy the registration list at the office of the clerk. A registration list maintained at a polling place may be examined by any person who is observing the proceedings under
s. 7.41 when such use does not interfere with the conduct of the election. This subsection does not apply to information that is confidential under
s. 6.47.
6.45(2)
(2) The municipal clerk shall furnish upon request to each candidate who has filed nomination papers for an office which represents at least part of the residents of the municipality one copy of the current registration list for those areas for which he or she is a candidate for a fee not to exceed the cost of reproduction. The clerk shall exclude information that is confidential under
s. 6.47 (2) from copies of the list, except as authorized under
s. 6.47 (8).
6.46
6.46
Poll lists; copying. 6.46(1)(1) Poll lists shall be preserved by the municipal clerk until destruction or other disposition is authorized under
s. 7.23.
6.46(2)
(2) Poll lists shall be open to public inspection, except as provided in
s. 6.47. The municipal clerk shall furnish upon request to each candidate who has filed nomination papers for an office which represents at least part of the municipality one copy of the current poll list for those areas for which he or she is a candidate for a fee not to exceed the cost of reproduction. If a copying machine is not accessible, the clerk shall remove the lists from the office for the purposes of copying, and return them immediately thereafter. The clerk shall exclude information that is confidential under
s. 6.47 (2) from copies of the list, except as authorized under
s. 6.47 (8).
6.46 History
History: 1975 c. 85,
199;
1999 a. 49.
6.47
6.47
Confidentiality of information relating to victims of domestic abuse. 6.47(1)(a)1.
1. An individual who has been granted a protective order that is in effect.
6.47(1)(a)2.
2. An individual who files an affidavit with the municipal clerk of the municipality where the individual resides, on a form prescribed by the board, that is signed by a sheriff or the chief of a police department and directed to the municipal clerk, and that verifies that a person has been charged with or convicted of an offense relating to domestic abuse in which the individual was a victim and reasonably continues to be threatened by that person.
6.47(1)(b)
(b) "Offense relating to domestic abuse" means an offense specified in
s. 940.19,
940.20 (1m),
940.201,
940.22,
940.225,
940.32,
947.013,
948.02,
948.025,
948.06,
948.09 or
948.095.
6.47(1)(c)
(c) "Protected individual" means an individual whose name and address is confidential under
sub. (2).
6.47(1)(d)
(d) "Protective order" means a temporary restraining order or an injunction issued under
s. 813.12 or
813.125.
6.47(1)(e)
(e) "Shelter" means a place where at least 4 unrelated individuals reside that provides residential shelter to individuals whose personal security is or may be threatened by family members or other persons with whom the individuals have had contact.
6.47(2)
(2) Except as authorized in
sub. (8), the municipal clerk shall withhold from public inspection under
s. 19.35 (1) the name and address of any eligible individual whose name appears on a poll list or registration list if the individual files a valid written request with the clerk to protect the individual's confidentiality. To be valid, a request under this subsection must be accompanied by a copy of a protective order that is in effect, an affidavit under
sub. (1) (a) 2. that is dated within 30 days of the date of the request or a statement signed by the operator or an authorized agent of the operator of a shelter that is dated within 30 days of the date of the request and that indicates that the operator operates the shelter and that the individual making the request resides in the shelter. A physically disabled individual who appears personally at the office of the municipal clerk accompanied by another elector of this state may designate that elector to make a request under this subsection on his or her behalf.
6.47(3)
(3) Upon listing of an elector under
sub. (2), the municipal clerk shall issue to the elector a voting identification card on a form prescribed by the board that shall contain the name of the municipality issuing the card and in the case of a town, the county in which the town is located, the elector's name, the ward in which the elector resides, if any, and a unique identification serial number issued by the board. The number issued to an elector under this subsection shall not be changed for so long as the elector continues to qualify for a listing under
sub. (2).
6.47(4)
(4) Except as provided in
sub. (5), a confidential listing under
sub. (2) expires on the date that a protective order expires, the date that the protected individual ceases to reside in a shelter or at the end of the 24-month period that follows creation or renewal of the listing under
sub. (2), whichever is earlier.
6.47(5)(a)(a) The municipal clerk shall cancel a confidential listing under
sub. (2) if:
6.47(5)(a)1.
1. The clerk receives notification from a sheriff or chief of police under
sub. (8).
6.47(5)(a)2.
2. The name of the protected individual is legally changed.
6.47(5)(a)3.
3. The protected individual changes his or her address without notifying the municipal clerk.
6.47(5)(a)4.
4. The municipal clerk finds that the protected individual provided false information to the clerk for the purpose of obtaining a confidential listing under
sub. (2).
6.47(5)(b)
(b) An individual whose confidential listing is canceled under
par. (a) may file a new request and qualify under
sub. (2) to obtain a renewal of the listing.
6.47(6)
(6) Upon expiration of a confidential listing on a registration list under
sub. (2), the municipal clerk shall cancel the registration of the protected individual unless the individual files a new request and qualifies under
sub. (2) to obtain a renewal of the listing or unless the individual applies for and qualifies to obtain a nonconfidential voter registration. Except as authorized in
sub. (8), the municipal clerk shall withhold from public inspection under
s. 19.35 (1) the name and address of any individual whose registration is canceled under this subsection if the individual qualified for a confidential listing at the time of that listing.
6.47(7)(a)(a) If the municipal clerk has notice that a confidential listing under
sub. (2) is scheduled to expire, the municipal clerk shall provide 30 days' notice to the protected individual of the scheduled expiration of the listing.
6.47(7)(b)
(b) If notice to a protected individual is not provided under
par. (a), the municipal clerk shall provide notice to the subject individual upon canceling a confidential listing under
sub. (2).
6.47(8)
(8) The municipal clerk shall provide access to a name and address under
sub. (2):
6.47(8)(a)
(a) To a law enforcement officer for official purposes.
6.47(8)(b)
(b) To a state or local governmental officer pursuant to a specific law that necessitates obtaining the name or address.
6.47(8)(c)
(c) Pursuant to a court order citing a reason that access to the name or address should be provided.
6.47(8)(e)
(e) At the request of a protected individual, for purposes of permitting that individual to sign a petition under
s. 59.05 (2) or a protest petition, consent or counter petition under
s. 125.05.
6.47(9)
(9) No person who obtains access to a name or address under
sub. (8) may disclose the name or address to any person other than a public employee for the same purpose for which the information was obtained.
6.47(10)
(10) If a sheriff or chief of a police department who signs an affidavit under
sub. (1) (a) 2. obtains information that the person who was charged with an offense relating to domestic abuse is no longer so charged or that the person's judgment of conviction has been vacated, and the charge or conviction was the sole basis for the affidavit, the sheriff or chief shall provide written notice of that information to the municipal clerk to whom the affidavit was directed.
6.47 History
History: 1999 a. 49,
186.
6.48
6.48
Challenging registration. 6.48(1)(a)(a) Any registered elector of a municipality may challenge the registration of any other registered elector by submitting to the municipal clerk or executive director of the board of election commissioners in cities of more than 500,000 population an affidavit stating that the elector is not qualified to vote and the reasons therefor. The clerk or director, upon receipt of the affidavit, shall mail a notification of the challenge to the challenged elector, at his or her registered address.
6.48(1)(b)
(b) The challenged and challenging electors shall appear before the municipal clerk within one week of notification or arrange under
sub. (2) to appear before the board of election commissioners. The challenging elector shall make an affidavit answering any questions necessary to determine the challenged elector's qualifications. Judgment rests with the municipal clerk and decisions shall be rendered as soon as heard. If the clerk cannot resolve the issue or has reservations as to the answers, the clerk may require the challenging elector to take the oath under
s. 6.925. If the challenged elector appears and contests any answer of the challenging elector, the clerk may require the challenged elector to take the oath under
s. 6.94 and to answer any question necessary to determine the challenged elector's qualifications. If the challenging elector appears before the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners but the challenged elector fails to appear, such clerk or board may make the decision without consulting the challenged elector. If the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners does not sustain the challenge, the challenged elector's registration remains valid.
6.48(1)(c)
(c) If the challenging elector fails to appear before the municipal clerk within one week or in cities of more than 500,000 population fails to appear before the board of election commissioners under
sub. (2) to answer questions and take the oath under
s. 6.925, such clerk or board shall cancel the challenge.
6.48(1)(d)
(d) If the clerk determines that the challenged elector is not qualified, the clerk shall cancel the challenged elector's registration, make the necessary change in the registration list and notify the inspectors for the ward or election district where the elector was registered.
6.48(2)
(2) Special procedure in populous cities. 6.48(2)(a)(a) In cities of more than 500,000 population, objections may be made before the board of election commissioners which shall sit on the last Wednesday before each election from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to hear objections then made or deferred under
sub. (1). If all the objections cannot then be determined, the commissioners shall sit during the same hours the next day.
6.48(2)(b)
(b) Upon appearing in person, objectors shall be examined, under oath, by the commissioners and testimony taken. Judgment rests with the board of election commissioners and decisions shall be rendered as soon as heard. All cases are heard and decided summarily. The commissioners shall determine whether the person objected to is qualified. If they determine that a person is not qualified, the name shall be stricken from the registration list and the proper ward officials notified of the change immediately.
6.48(3)
(3) Challenge based on incompetency. Section 6.03 (3) applies to any challenge which is made to registration based on an allegation that an elector is incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process and thereby ineligible for registration.
6.48(4)
(4) Disqualification. The municipal clerk or board of election commissioners may not disqualify an elector under this section except upon the grounds and in accordance with the procedure specified in
s. 6.325.
