LRB-5518/1
MPG:amn
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
January 19, 2024 - Introduced by Senators Smith, Spreitzer, Agard and Roys,
cosponsored by Representatives Haywood, Snodgrass, Ortiz-Velez,
Neubauer, Emerson, Conley, Joers, J. Anderson, Ratcliff, Ohnstad, Stubbs,
Subeck, Moore Omokunde, Jacobson and Madison. Referred to Committee on
Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection.
SB943,1,4 1An Act to amend 6.02 (1), 6.02 (2), 6.10 (3), 6.10 (4), 6.15 (1), 6.15 (2) (a), 6.18
2(form), 6.22 (7), 6.29 (2) (a), 6.55 (2) (a) (form), 6.85 (2), 6.87 (2) (form), 6.94 and
37.52 (5) (b) of the statutes; relating to: residency requirement for purposes of
4voting.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, with limited exceptions, an otherwise eligible voter must be
a resident of Wisconsin and of the municipality and ward, if any, where the voter is
voting for 28 days before an election in order to vote in the election in that
municipality and ward. This bill shortens that residency requirement from 28 days
to 10 days.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB943,1 5Section 1. 6.02 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,1,86 6.02 (1) Every U.S. citizen age 18 or older who has resided in an election district
7or ward for 28 10 consecutive days before any election where the citizen offers to vote
8is an eligible elector.
SB943,2
1Section 2. 6.02 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,2,62 6.02 (2) Any U.S. citizen age 18 or older who moves within this state later than
328 10 days before an election shall vote at his or her previous ward or election district
4if the person is otherwise qualified. If the elector can comply with the 28-day 10-day
5residence requirement at the new address and is otherwise qualified, he or she may
6vote in the new ward or election district.
SB943,3 7Section 3. 6.10 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,2,158 6.10 (3) When an elector moves his or her residence from one ward or
9municipality to another ward or municipality within the state at least 28 10 days
10before the election, the elector may vote in and be considered a resident of the new
11ward or municipality where residing upon registering at the proper polling place or
12other registration location in the new ward or municipality under s. 6.55 (2) or 6.86
13(3) (a) 2. If the elector moves his or her residence later than 28 10 days before an
14election, the elector shall vote in the elector's former ward or municipality if
15otherwise qualified to vote there.
SB943,4 16Section 4. 6.10 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,3,217 6.10 (4) The residence of an unmarried person sleeping in one ward and
18boarding in another is the place where the person sleeps. The residence of an
19unmarried person in a transient vocation, a teacher or a student who boards at
20different places for part of the week, month, or year, if one of the places is the
21residence of the person's parents, is the place of the parents' residence unless through
22registration or similar act the person elects to establish a residence elsewhere. If the
23person has no parents and if the person has not registered elsewhere, the person's
24residence shall be at the place that the person considered his or her residence in
25preference to any other for at least 28 10 consecutive days before an election. If this

1place is within the municipality, the person is entitled to all the privileges and subject
2to all the duties of other citizens having their residence there, including voting.
SB943,5 3Section 5. 6.15 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,3,94 6.15 (1) Qualifications. Any person who was or who is an eligible elector under
5ss. 6.02 and 6.03, except that he or she has been a resident of this state for less than
628 10 consecutive days prior to the date of the presidential election, is entitled to vote
7for the president and vice president but for no other offices. The fact that the person
8was not registered to vote in the state from which he or she moved does not prevent
9voting in this state if the elector is otherwise qualified.
SB943,6 10Section 6. 6.15 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,3,1811 6.15 (2) (a) The elector's request for the application form may be made in person
12to the municipal clerk of the municipality where the person resides. Application may
13be made not sooner than 27 9 days nor later than 5 p.m. on the day before the election,
14or may be made at the proper polling place in the ward or election district in which
15the elector resides. If an elector makes application before election day, the
16application form shall be returned to the municipal clerk after the affidavit has been
17signed in the presence of the clerk or any officer authorized by law to administer
18oaths. The affidavit shall be in substantially the following form:
SB943,3,1919 STATE OF WISCONSIN
SB943,3,2020 County of ....
SB943,4,621 I, ...., do solemnly swear that I am a citizen of the United States; that prior to
22establishing Wisconsin residence, my legal residence was in the .... (town) (village)
23(city) of ...., state of ...., residing at .... (street address); that on the day of the next
24presidential election, I shall be at least 18 years of age and that I have been a legal
25resident of the state of Wisconsin since ...., .... (year), residing at .... (street address),

1in the [.... ward of the .... aldermanic district of] the (town) (village) (city) of ...., county
2of ....; that I have resided in the state less than 28 10 consecutive days, that I am
3qualified to vote for president and vice president at the election to be held November
4...., .... (year), that I am not voting at any other place in this election and that I hereby
5make application for an official presidential ballot, in accordance with section 6.15
6of the Wisconsin statutes.
SB943,4,77 Signed ....
SB943,4,88 P.O. Address ....
SB943,4,99 Subscribed and sworn to before me this .... day of ...., .... (year)
SB943,4,1010 ....(Name)
SB943,4,1111 ....(Title)
SB943,7 12Section 7. 6.18 (form) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,4,16 136.18 (form) This form shall be returned to the municipal clerk's office.
14Application must be received in sufficient time for ballots to be mailed and returned
15prior to any presidential election at which applicant wishes to vote. Complete all
16statements in full.
SB943,4,1717 APPLICATION FOR PRESIDENTIAL
SB943,4,1818 ELECTOR'S ABSENTEE BALLOT
SB943,4,1919 (To be voted at the Presidential Election
SB943,4,2020 on November ...., .... (year)
SB943,5,421 I, .... hereby swear or affirm that I am a citizen of the United States, formerly
22residing at .... in the .... ward .... aldermanic district (city, town, village) of ...., County
23of .... for 28 10 consecutive days prior to leaving the State of Wisconsin. I, .... do
24solemnly swear or affirm that I do not qualify to register or vote under the laws of
25the State of ....(State you now reside in) where I am presently residing. A citizen must

1be a resident of: State ....(Insert time) County ....(Insert time) City, Town or Village
2....(Insert time), in order to be eligible to register or vote therein. I further swear or
3affirm that my legal residence was established in the State of ....(the State where you
4now reside) on .... Month .... Day .... Year.
SB943,5,55 Signed ....
SB943,5,66 Address ....(Present address)
SB943,5,77 ....(City) ....(State)
SB943,5,88 Subscribed and sworn to before me this .... day of .... .... (year)
SB943,5,99 ....(Notary Public, or other officer authorized to administer oaths.)
SB943,5,1010 ....(County)
SB943,5,1111 My Commission expires
SB943,5,1212 MAIL BALLOT TO:
SB943,5,1313 NAME ....
SB943,5,1414 ADDRESS ....
SB943,5,1515 CITY .... STATE .... ZIP CODE ....
SB943,5,20 16Penalties for Violations. Whoever swears falsely to any absent elector affidavit
17under this section may be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than
186 months or both. Whoever intentionally votes more than once in an election may
19be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 3 years and 6 months
20or both.
SB943,5,2121 ....(Municipal Clerk)
SB943,5,2222 ....(Municipality)
SB943,8 23Section 8. 6.22 (7) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,6,3
16.22 (7) Extension of privilege. This section applies to all military electors for
228 10 days after the date of discharge from a uniformed service or termination of
3services or employment of individuals specified in sub. (1) (b) 1. to 4.
SB943,9 4Section 9. 6.29 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,6,165 6.29 (2) (a) Any qualified elector of a municipality who has not previously filed
6a registration form or whose name does not appear on the registration list of the
7municipality may register after the close of registration but not later than 5 p.m. or
8the close of business, whichever is later, on the Friday before an election at the office
9of the municipal clerk and at the office of the clerk's agent if the clerk delegates
10responsibility for electronic maintenance of the registration list to an agent under
11s. 6.33 (5) (b). The elector shall complete, in the manner provided under s. 6.33 (2),
12a registration form containing all information required under s. 6.33 (1). The
13registration form shall also contain the following certification: “I, ...., hereby certify
14that, to the best of my knowledge, I am a qualified elector, having resided at ... for
15at least 28 10 consecutive days immediately preceding this election, and I have not
16voted at this election". The elector shall also provide proof of residence under s. 6.34.
SB943,10 17Section 10. 6.55 (2) (a) (form) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,6,2018 6.55 (2) (a) (form) “I, ...., hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, I am
19a qualified elector, having resided at .... for at least 28 10 consecutive days
20immediately preceding this election, and I have not voted at this election."
SB943,11 21Section 11. 6.85 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,6,2522 6.85 (2) Any otherwise qualified elector who changes residence within this
23state by moving to a different ward or municipality later than 28 10 days prior to an
24election may vote an absentee ballot in the ward or municipality where he or she was
25qualified to vote before moving.
SB943,12
1Section 12. 6.87 (2) (form) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB943,7,22 6.87 (2) (form)
SB943,7,33 [STATE OF ....
SB943,7,44 County of ....]
SB943,7,66 [(name of foreign country and city or other jurisdictional unit)]
SB943,7,197 I, ...., certify subject to the penalties of s. 12.60 (1) (b), Wis. Stats., for false
8statements, that I am a resident of the [.... ward of the] (town) (village) of ...., or of
9the .... aldermanic district in the city of ...., residing at ....* in said city, the county
10of ...., state of Wisconsin, and am entitled to vote in the (ward) (election district) at
11the election to be held on ....; that I am not voting at any other location in this election;
12that I am unable or unwilling to appear at the polling place in the (ward) (election
13district) on election day or have changed my residence within the state from one ward
14or election district to another later than 28 10 days before the election. I certify that
15I exhibited the enclosed ballot unmarked to the witness, that I then in (his) (her)
16presence and in the presence of no other person marked the ballot and enclosed and
17sealed the same in this envelope in such a manner that no one but myself and any
18person rendering assistance under s. 6.87 (5), Wis. Stats., if I requested assistance,
19could know how I voted.
SB943,7,2020 Signed ....
SB943,7,2121 Identification serial number, if any: ....
SB943,7,2222 The witness shall execute the following:
SB943,8,323 I, the undersigned witness, subject to the penalties of s. 12.60 (1) (b), Wis.
24Stats., for false statements, certify that I am an adult U.S. citizen** and that the
25above statements are true and the voting procedure was executed as there stated.

1I am not a candidate for any office on the enclosed ballot (except in the case of an
2incumbent municipal clerk). I did not solicit or advise the elector to vote for or against
3any candidate or measure.
SB943,8,44 ....(Printed name)
SB943,8,55 ....(Address)***
SB943,8,66 Signed ....
SB943,8,87 * — An elector who provides an identification serial number issued under s.
86.47 (3), Wis. Stats., need not provide a street address.
SB943,8,129 ** — An individual who serves as a witness for a military elector or an overseas
10elector voting absentee, regardless of whether the elector qualifies as a resident of
11Wisconsin under s. 6.10, Wis. Stats., need not be a U.S. citizen but must be 18 years
12of age or older.
SB943,8,1413 *** — If this form is executed before 2 special voting deputies under s. 6.875 (6),
14Wis. Stats., both deputies shall witness and sign.
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