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2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE
April 30, 2019 - Introduced by Senators Hansen, Wirch, Larson and Miller,
cosponsored by Representatives Hebl, Neubauer, Anderson, Brostoff,
Crowley, Doyle, Emerson, Hesselbein, Ohnstad, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Stubbs,
Stuck and C. Taylor. Referred to Committee on Public Benefits, Licensing
and State-Federal Relations.
SB197,1,4 1An Act to renumber and amend 5.10; to amend 7.70 (5) (b) and 7.75 (2); and
2to create 5.10 (2), 5.11 and 5.12 of the statutes; relating to: entering into an
3agreement among the states to elect the president of the United States by
4means of a national popular vote.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Currently, the names of the presidential electors do not appear on the ballot in
this state. Instead, the names of the candidates for president and vice president
appear on the ballot and each vote cast for one of the tickets is a vote for the
presidential electors whose names are filed by their political party or, in the case of
independent candidates, whose names are filed with the nomination papers of the
candidates. After the winners of the presidential election in this state are
determined, the presidential electors convene and cast their ballots for the
candidates of the party who filed their names or for the independent candidates who
filed their names.
This bill ratifies an agreement among the states which provides that if the
agreement governs a particular presidential election, this state will certify the
electors of the party, or in the case of independent candidates, the electors of the
candidates, who win the national popular vote for president and vice president as the
winning slate of presidential electors in this state. Under the agreement, the
Elections Commission must certify to the other states the winners of the presidential
and vice presidential vote in this state and must accept the determinations of the
chief election officials of the other states in calculating the numbers of votes cast for

the presidential and vice presidential candidates in their states. The agreement
governs the election of presidential electors in this state in any year in which the
agreement is, on July 20, in effect in states cumulatively possessing a majority of
electoral votes.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB197,1 1Section 1. 5.10 of the statutes is renumbered 5.10 (1) and amended to read:
SB197,2,92 5.10 (1) Although the names of the electors do not appear on the ballot and no
3reference is made to them, a vote for the president and vice president named on the
4ballot is a vote for the electors of the candidates for whom an elector's vote is cast.
5Under chs. 5 to 12, all references to the presidential election, the casting of votes and
6the canvassing of votes for president, or for president and vice president, mean votes
7for them through their pledged presidential electors, except that if the compact
8under s. 5.11 governs the election of presidential electors, the references mean votes
9for the presidential electors who represent the candidates
.
SB197,2 10Section 2. 5.10 (2) of the statutes is created to read:
SB197,2,1411 5.10 (2) No later than August 1 of each year in which a president is to be elected,
12the commission shall determine whether the compact under s. 5.11 governs the
13election of presidential electors at that election in this state and shall promptly
14publish a copy of its determination in the Wisconsin Administrative Register.
SB197,3 15Section 3. 5.11 of the statutes is created to read:
SB197,2,16 165.11 Interstate compact on election of president and vice president.
SB197,2,1817 AGREEMENT AMONG THE STATES TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT BY
18NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE
SB197,2,20 19(1) Article I — Membership. Any state of the United States and the District
20of Columbia may become a member of this agreement by enacting this agreement.
SB197,3,3
1(2) Article II — Right of the people in member states to vote for president
2and vice president.
Each member state shall conduct a statewide popular election
3for president and vice president of the United States.
SB197,3,10 4(3) Article III — Manner of appointing presidential electors in member
5states.
(a) Prior to the time set by law for the meeting and voting by the presidential
6electors, the chief election official of each member state shall determine the number
7of votes for each presidential slate in each state of the United States and in the
8District of Columbia in which votes have been cast in a statewide popular election
9and shall add such votes together to produce a “national popular vote total" for each
10presidential slate.
SB197,3,1311 (b) The chief election official of each member state shall designate the
12presidential slate with the largest national popular vote total as the “national
13popular vote winner."
SB197,3,1614 (c) The presidential elector certifying official of each member state shall certify
15the appointment in that official's own state of the elector slate nominated in that
16state in association with the national popular vote winner.
SB197,3,2117 (d) At least 6 days before the day fixed by law for the meeting and voting by the
18presidential electors, each member state shall make a final determination of the
19number of popular votes cast in the state for each presidential slate and shall
20communicate an official statement of such determination within 24 hours to the chief
21election official of each other member state.
SB197,3,2522 (e) The chief election official of each member state shall treat as conclusive an
23official statement containing the number of popular votes in a state for each
24presidential slate made by the day established by federal law for making a state's
25final determination conclusive as to the counting of electoral votes by Congress.
SB197,4,4
1(f) In event of a tie for the national popular vote winner, the presidential elector
2certifying official of each member state shall certify the appointment of the elector
3slate nominated in association with the presidential slate receiving the largest
4number of popular votes within that official's own state.
SB197,4,125 (g) If, for any reason, the number of presidential electors nominated in a
6member state in association with the national popular vote winner is less than or
7greater than that state's number of electoral votes, the presidential candidate on the
8presidential slate that has been designated as the national popular vote winner shall
9have the power to nominate the presidential electors for that state and that state's
10presidential elector certifying official shall certify the appointment of such nominees.
11The chief election official of each member state shall immediately release to the
12public all vote counts or statements of votes as they are determined or obtained.
SB197,4,1513 (h) This article shall govern the appointment of presidential electors in each
14member state in any year in which this agreement is, on July 20, in effect in states
15cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes.
SB197,4,19 16(4) Article IV — Other provisions. (a) This agreement shall take effect when
17states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes have enacted this
18agreement in substantially the same form, and the enactments by such states have
19taken effect in each state.
SB197,4,2320 (b) Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except that a
21withdrawal occurring 6 months or less before the end of a president's term shall not
22become effective until a president or vice president shall have been qualified to serve
23the next term.
SB197,5,224 (c) The chief executive of each member state shall promptly notify the chief
25executive of all other states of when this agreement has been enacted and has taken

1effect in that official's state, when the state has withdrawn from this agreement, and
2when this agreement takes effect generally.
SB197,5,33 (d) This agreement shall terminate if the electoral college is abolished.
SB197,5,54 (e) If any provision of this agreement is held invalid, the remaining provisions
5shall not be affected.
SB197,5,6 6(5) Article V — Definitions. For purposes of this agreement:
SB197,5,87 (a) “Chief election official" shall mean the state official or body that is
8authorized to certify the total number of popular votes for each presidential slate.
SB197,5,109 (b) “Chief executive" shall mean the governor of a state of the United States or
10the mayor of the District of Columbia.
SB197,5,1311 (c) “Elector slate" shall mean a slate of candidates who have been nominated
12in a state for the position of presidential elector in association with a presidential
13slate.
SB197,5,1514 (d) “Presidential elector" shall mean an elector for president and vice president
15of the United States.
SB197,5,1716 (e) “Presidential elector certifying official" shall mean the state official or body
17that is authorized to certify the appointment of the state's presidential electors.
SB197,5,2218 (f) “Presidential slate" shall mean a slate of 2 persons, the first of whom has
19been nominated as a candidate for president of the United States and the 2nd of
20whom has been nominated as a candidate for vice president of the United States, or
21any legal successors to such persons, regardless of whether both names appear on
22the ballot presented to the voter in a particular state.
SB197,5,2323 (g) “State" shall mean a state of the United States and the District of Columbia.
SB197,5,2524 (h) “Statewide popular election" shall mean a general election in which votes
25are cast for presidential slates by individual voters and counted on a statewide basis.
SB197,4
1Section 4. 5.12 of the statutes is created to read:
SB197,6,7 25.12 Governor to notify reference bureau when agreement is in effect.
3Whenever the governor notifies the chief executives of the other states that the
4agreement ratified under s. 5.11 is in effect in this state, or that this state has
5withdrawn from the agreement, the governor shall concurrently notify the
6legislative reference bureau that the agreement is in effect or is no longer in effect
7in this state.
SB197,5 8Section 5. 7.70 (5) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB197,6,179 7.70 (5) (b) For presidential electors, the commission shall prepare a certificate
10showing the determination of the results of the canvass and the names of the persons
11elected as presidential electors, or if the compact under s. 5.11 governs the election
12of presidential electors, the names of the persons who are certified as winners in
13accordance with s. 5.11
, and the governor shall sign, affix the great seal of the state,
14and transmit the certificate by registered mail to the U.S. administrator of general
15services. The governor shall also prepare 6 duplicate originals of such certificate and
16deliver them to one of the presidential electors on or before the first Monday after the
172nd Wednesday in December.
SB197,6 18Section 6. 7.75 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB197,7,419 7.75 (2) The Except as provided in this subsection, the presidential electors,
20when convened, shall vote by ballot for that person for president and that person for
21vice president who are, respectively, the candidates of the political party which
22nominated them under s. 8.18, the candidates whose names appeared on the
23nomination papers filed under s. 8.20, or the candidate or candidates who filed their
24names under s. 8.185 (2), except that at least one of the persons for whom the electors
25vote may not be an inhabitant of this state. A presidential elector is not required to

1vote for a candidate who is deceased at the time of the meeting. If the compact under
2s. 5.11 governs the election of presidential electors, the presidential electors shall
3vote for the persons for president and vice president who are, respectively, certified
4as winners under s. 5.11
.
SB197,7 5Section 7. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication,
6except as follows:
SB197,7,107 (1) The treatment of ss. 7.70 (5) (b) and 7.75 (2), the renumbering and
8amendment of s. 5.10, and the creation of s. 5.10 (2) take effect upon notification by
9the governor to the legislative reference bureau that the agreement ratified by this
10state under s. 5.11 is in effect in this state.
SB197,7,1111 (End)
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