2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2226/1
MPG:wlj
April 23, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Piwowarczyk, B. Jacobson, Brooks, Dittrich, Duchow, Gundrum, Knodl, Kreibich, Melotik, Murphy, Mursau, Nedweski, O'Connor, Penterman, Rodriguez, Spiros, Steffen and Tucker, cosponsored by Senators Wanggaard, Marklein, Quinn and Tomczyk. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
AB223,1,4
1An Act to renumber and amend 8.40 (2); to amend 8.10 (3) (intro.), 8.15 (4) 2(a), 8.20 (3) and 9.10 (2) (em) 2.; to create 8.40 (2) (b) of the statutes; relating
3to: residency requirements for persons circulating nomination papers or recall
4petitions. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, any person may circulate nomination papers for a candidate if the person is eligible to vote in Wisconsin or is a U.S. citizen aged 18 or older who, if he or she were a Wisconsin resident, would not be disqualified from voting in the state. A person is eligible to vote in Wisconsin if he or she is a U.S. citizen aged 18 or older who has resided in an election district in this state for at least 28 consecutive days.
Under this bill, a person must be eligible to vote in Wisconsin in order to circulate nomination papers for a candidate. However, under the bill, nomination papers and petitions for the candidacy of candidates for the offices of president and vice president of the United States may continue to be circulated by any person eligible to vote in Wisconsin or by any U.S. citizen aged 18 or older who, if he or she were a Wisconsin resident, would not be disqualified from voting in the state.
Similarly, under current law, any person who is eligible to vote in Wisconsin or who is a U.S. citizen aged 18 or older and who, if he or she were a Wisconsin resident, would not be disqualified from voting in the state may circulate a recall petition.
Under the bill, a person must be eligible to vote in Wisconsin in order to circulate a recall petition and have the signatures on the petition be counted toward a recall.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB223,1
1Section 1. 8.10 (3) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read: AB223,2,528.10 (3) (intro.) The certification of a qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) 3who is a qualified elector of this state shall be appended to each nomination paper. 4The number of required signatures on nomination papers filed under this section is 5as follows: AB223,26Section 2. 8.15 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read: AB223,3,278.15 (4) (a) The certification of a qualified circulator who is a qualified elector 8of this state stating his or her residence with street and number, if any, shall appear 9at the bottom of each nomination paper, stating he or she personally circulated the 10nomination paper and personally obtained each of the signatures; he or she knows 11they are electors of the ward, aldermanic district, municipality or county, as the 12nomination papers require; he or she knows they signed the paper with full 13knowledge of its content; he or she knows their respective residences given; he or 14she knows each signer signed on the date stated opposite his or her name; and, that 15he or she, the circulator, is a qualified elector of this state, or if not a qualified 16elector of this state, is a U.S. citizen age 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident 17of this state, would not be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03; that he or she 18intends to support the candidate; and that he or she is aware that falsifying the 19certification is punishable under s. 12.13 (3) (a). The circulator shall indicate the
1date that he or she makes the certification next to his or her signature. The 2certification may be made by the candidate or any qualified circulator. AB223,33Section 3. 8.20 (3) of the statutes is amended to read: AB223,3,1048.20 (3) The certification of a qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) who is a 5qualified elector of this state shall be appended to each nomination paper, except 6that for candidates for the offices of president and vice president, the certification of 7the qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) shall state that the circulator is a 8qualified elector of this state, or if not a qualified elector of this state, is a U.S. 9citizen aged 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not be 10disqualified from voting under s. 6.03. AB223,411Section 4. 8.40 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 8.40 (2) (a) and amended to 12read: AB223,4,2138.40 (2) (a) The certification of a qualified circulator stating his or her 14residence with street and number, if any, shall appear at the bottom of each 15separate sheet of each petition specified in sub. (1), stating that he or she personally 16circulated the petition and personally obtained each of the signatures; that the 17circulator knows that they are electors of the jurisdiction or district in which the 18petition is circulated; that the circulator knows that they signed the paper with full 19knowledge of its content; that the circulator knows their respective residences 20given; that the circulator knows that each signer signed on the date stated opposite 21his or her name; that, except as provided in par. (b), the circulator is a qualified 22elector of this state, or if not a qualified elector of this state, that the circulator is a 23U.S. citizen age 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not 24be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03; and that the circulator is aware that
1falsifying the certification is punishable under s. 12.13 (3) (a). The circulator shall 2indicate the date that he or she makes the certification next to his or her signature. AB223,53Section 5. 8.40 (2) (b) of the statutes is created to read: AB223,4,548.40 (2) (b) For a recall petition the certification under par. (a) shall state that 5the circulator is a qualified elector of this state. AB223,66Section 6. 9.10 (2) (em) 2. of the statutes is amended to read: AB223,4,779.10 (2) (em) 2. The circulator is not a qualified circulator elector of this state.
