7.20(7) (7) The term of office shall be 4 years, and until successors have been commissioned and qualified, beginning on July 1 each year following a presidential election. Successors shall be appointed the same way.

7.20 History History: 1973 c. 334; 1975 c. 124; 1983 a. 484 s. 172 (1); 1993 a. 184; 2013 a. 373.

7.20 Annotation Municipal clerks are the officials primarily responsible for election administration in Wisconsin. A “board of election commissioners” is established in Wisconsin’s high population cities and counties to carry out the duties otherwise accomplished by municipal and county clerks everywhere else. The phrase “municipal clerk or board of election commissioners” appears in tandem all over the election statutes because that describes the duties of local election officials. State ex rel. Zignego v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, 2021 WI 32, 396 Wis. 2d 391, 957 N.W.2d 208, 19-2397.

7.21 7.21 Election commissioners, duties and regulations.

7.21(1) (1) All powers and duties assigned to the municipal or county clerk or the municipal or county board of canvassers under chs. 5 to 12 shall be carried out by the municipal or county board of election commissioners or its executive director, unless specifically retained or assigned in this section or s. 7.22.

7.21(2) (2) The county clerk shall serve as executive director of the county board of election commissioners. The clerk shall perform whatever duties the board of election commissioners assigns to him or her. An executive director of the city board of election commissioners shall be appointed under s. 62.51.

7.21(3) (3) The board of election commissioners is authorized to employ additional clerical assistants to carry out its necessary duties. The assistants’ salaries shall be fixed by the governing body of the municipality or county.

7.21(4) (4) The board of election commissioners may procure a seal to authenticate official papers and documents.

7.21(5) (5) The city council and county board shall provide office space in the city hall and county courthouse, respectively, pay all the necessary expenses, cooperate with the board of election commissioners, provide storage space for the election equipment and supplies and assist with the moving and conducting of the elections as necessary.

7.21 History History: 1973 c. 334; 1979 c. 89; 1983 a. 36; 1983 a. 484 s. 172 (1), (2); 1985 a. 304 ss. 81, 155; 1987 a. 382; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 1999 a. 182; 2007 a. 1; 2013 a. 373.

7.22 7.22 Municipal board of election commissioners.

7.22(1) (1) The common council shall determine the salaries of the election commissioners and shall include sufficient funds in its budget to allow the municipal board of election commissioners to fulfill its duties.

7.22(2) (2) All expenses shall be paid upon order of the municipal board of election commissioners, signed by the chairperson and executive director and countersigned by the city comptroller. The orders, made payable to persons in whose favor issued, shall be the vouchers for the city treasurer for the payment of the orders.

7.22(3) (3) The municipal board of election commissioners shall prepare and furnish copies of all registrations, books, maps, instructions, and forms pertaining to the rules for registration and conducting elections for the use and guidance of the election officials.

7.22(4) (4) The municipal board of election commissioners shall compile and publish a biennial report, containing election statistics and returns of all primaries and elections held within their city and county. Copies of the same shall be distributed to persons in such quantities as the municipal board of election commissioners deems proper.

7.22(5) (5) The chief of police shall station a police officer at polling places designated by the municipal board of election commissioners for each election.

7.22 History History: 1973 c. 334; 1977 c. 51; 1983 a. 484 s. 172 (1); 1985 a. 304 s. 155; 1993 a. 184; 2001 a. 107.

7.23 7.23 Destruction of election materials.

7.23(1) (1) All materials and supplies associated with an election, except as provided in sub. (2), may be destroyed according to the following schedule:

7.23(1)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (am), unused materials after an election and the contents of the blank ballot box after a primary may be destroyed at a time and in a manner designated by the appropriate clerk.

7.23(1)(am) (am) Unused ballots may be discarded or destroyed no earlier than the day after the latest day for the filing of a petition for a recount under s. 9.01 for any office on the ballots.

7.23(1)(c) (c) Registration forms of electors whose registrations are changed to ineligible status under s. 6.50 (7) may be destroyed 4 years after the change, unless an elector becomes eligible again during that period.

7.23(1)(d) (d) Financial reports may be destroyed 6 years after the date of receipt. Financial registration statements may be destroyed 6 years after termination of registration.

7.23(1)(e) (e) Poll lists created for any election may be destroyed 22 months after the election at which they were created.

7.23(1)(f) (f) Except as authorized in par. (g), ballots, applications for absentee ballots, registration forms, or other records and papers requisite to voting at any federal election, other than registration cards, may be destroyed after 22 months.

7.23(1)(g) (g) Detachable recording units and compartments for use with tabulating equipment for an electronic voting system may be cleared or erased 14 days after any primary and 21 days after any other election. Before clearing or erasing the units or compartments, a municipal clerk shall transfer the data contained in the units or compartments to a disk or other recording medium which may be erased or destroyed 22 months after the election to which the data relates. The requirement to transfer data does not apply to units or compartments for use with tabulating equipment for an electronic voting system that was approved for use prior to January 1, 2009, and that is not used in a federal election.

7.23(1)(h) (h) Except as provided in par. (f), ballots may be destroyed 30 days after any election.

7.23(1)(i) (i) Official canvasses may be destroyed 10 years after the election to which they relate.

7.23(1)(j) (j) Election notices, and proofs of publication and correspondence filed in connection with such notices may be destroyed one year after the date of the election to which they relate.