AB979: Bill Text

LRB-5711/1

MPG:amn

2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

2019 Assembly BILL 979

March 2, 2020 - Introduced by Representatives Spreitzer, Anderson, Hebl, Subeck and Zamarripa, cosponsored by Senator Smith. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.

AB979,1,2 An Act to amend 7.15 (1) (cm) of the statutes; relating to: sending or transmitting absentee ballots.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law requires a municipal clerk to send an absentee ballot for each partisan primary, presidential preference primary, and general election to all electors requesting the ballot, including military and overseas electors, no later than the 47th day before the partisan primary, presidential preference primary, or general election or, if the request is not made before that day, within one business day after the request is received. For all other primaries and elections, the municipal clerk must send or transmit the absentee ballot no later than the 21st day before the primary or election or, if the request is not made before that day, within one business day after the request is received.

Under this bill, a municipal clerk must send or transmit an absentee ballot for all primaries and elections, regardless of the type of primary or election, to electors other than military and overseas electors no later than the 21st day before the primary or election or, if the request is not made before that day, within one business day after the request is received.

The bill does not alter the time frame in which municipal clerks must send or transmit absentee ballots to military and overseas electors, except that the bill specifies that absentee ballots for special primaries and elections are among the ballots that must be sent to military and overseas electors if requested.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB979,1 Section 1 . 7.15 (1) (cm) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB979,2,18 7.15 (1) (cm) Prepare official absentee ballots for delivery to electors requesting them, and except as provided in this paragraph, send an official absentee ballot to each elector who has requested a ballot by mail, and to each military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1), and overseas elector who has requested a ballot by mail, electronic mail, or facsimile transmission, no later than the 47th day before each partisan primary, presidential preference primary, special primary or election, and general election and no later than the 21st day before each other primary and election if the request is made before that day; otherwise, the municipal clerk shall send or transmit an official absentee ballot within one business day of the time the military or overseas elector's request for such a ballot is received. The clerk shall send or transmit an absentee ballot for the presidential preference primary to each elector who has requested that to all other electors requesting a ballot no later than the 47th 21st day before the presidential preference primary or election if the request is made before that day, or, if the request is not made before that day, within one business day of the time the request is received. For purposes of this paragraph, “business day" means any day from Monday to Friday, not including a legal holiday under s. 995.20.

AB979,2,19 (End)