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SB685-SSA1,15,76 2. Auditing the election equipment in the same manner as audits are conducted
7under s. 7.08 (6).
SB685-SSA1,15,98 (e) Votes on absentee ballots canvassed under this subsection may not be tallied
9until after the polls close on election day.
SB685-SSA1,15,1310 (f) No person may intentionally act in a manner that would give him or her the
11ability to know or to provide information on the tallied results from the ballots
12canvassed under this subsection before the polls close on election day. Whoever
13intentionally violates this paragraph is guilty of a Class I felony.
SB685-SSA1,15,1514 (g) An ordinance under par. (a) may not take effect less than 60 days before an
15election.
SB685-SSA1,18 16Section 18 . 7.03 (1) (c) of the statutes is repealed.
SB685-SSA1,19 17Section 19. 7.15 (16) of the statutes is created to read:
SB685-SSA1,16,618 7.15 (16) Election night reporting. (a) At 10 p.m. on election night, and every
19hour thereafter until the canvass is complete, the municipal clerk or his or her
20designee or municipal board of election commissioners shall provide to the county
21clerk of the county in which the municipality is located or the county board of election
22commissioners a statement that shows the total number of ballots, including
23absentee ballots, cast at the municipality in the election, the total number of ballots,
24including absentee ballots, that have been canvassed, and the total number of
25ballots, including absentee ballots, that remain to be canvassed. The county clerk

1or county board of election commissioners shall promptly post each statement on the
2website on which the county posts returns on election night under s. 7.60. In a
3municipality having a municipal board of election commissioners, the statement
4required under this subsection shall also be posted on the website maintained by the
5municipal board of election commissioners. The statement may not include the
6names or addresses of any electors.
SB685-SSA1,16,97 (b) An absentee ballot may be considered canvassed for purposes of par. (a) only
8after all tasks have been completed in the canvassing process except for the tallying
9of votes.
SB685-SSA1,20 10Section 20 . 7.37 (12) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,16,1411 7.37 (12) Canvassers. The election inspectors shall constitute the board of
12canvassers of their polling place and in that capacity shall perform the duties under
13s. 7.51, except as otherwise designated by the municipal clerk under ss. s. 5.85 and
145.86
.
SB685-SSA1,21 15Section 21 . 7.51 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,17,716 7.51 (1) Canvass procedure. Immediately after the polls close the inspectors
17except any inspector appointed under s. 7.30 (1) (b) shall proceed to canvass publicly
18all votes received at the polling place. In any municipality where an electronic voting
19system is used, the municipal governing body or board of election commissioners may
20provide or authorize the municipal clerk or executive director of the board of election
21commissioners to provide for the adjournment of the canvass to one or more central
22counting locations for specified polling places in the manner prescribed in subch. III
23of ch. 5. No central counting location may be used to count votes at a polling place
24where an electronic voting system is not employed.
The canvass , whether conducted
25at the polling place or at a central counting location,
shall continue without

1adjournment until the canvass of all ballots cast and received on or before election
2day is completed and the return statement is made or, in municipalities where
3absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, until the canvass of all absentee ballots
4cast and received on or before election day is completed and the return statement for
5those ballots is made. The inspectors shall not permit access to the name of any
6elector who has obtained a confidential listing under s. 6.47 (2) during the canvass,
7except as authorized in s. 6.47 (8).
SB685-SSA1,22 8Section 22 . 7.52 (1) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 7.52 (1) (a) 1. and
9amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,18,210 7.52 (1) (a) 1. The governing body of any municipality may provide by ordinance
11that, in lieu of canvassing absentee ballots at polling places under s. 6.88, the
12municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers designated under s. 7.53 (2m) shall,
13at each election held in the municipality, canvass all absentee ballots received by the
14municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on election day. Prior to enacting an ordinance under this
15subsection subdivision, the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of the
16municipality shall notify the elections commission in writing of the proposed
17enactment and shall consult with the elections commission concerning
18administration of this section. At Except as provided under par. (h), at every election
19held in the municipality following enactment of an ordinance under this subsection
20subdivision, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall, any time after the opening
21of the polls and before 10 p.m. on election day,
publicly convene no earlier than 7 a.m.
22on the day before the election
to count the begin the canvass of absentee ballots for
23the municipality and may not recess until 8 p.m. on that day, or at such time when
24there are no further absentee ballots to be processed on that day, whichever is earlier,
25at which time the meeting shall recess; the meeting shall reconvene at 7 a.m. on

1election day and continue until all absentee ballots received by the municipal clerk
2by 8 p.m. on election day have been canvassed
.
SB685-SSA1,18,9 32. The municipal clerk shall give at least 48 hours' 60 days' notice of any the
4meeting under this subsection. Any member of the public has the same right of
5access to a meeting of the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers under this
6subsection that the individual would have under s. 7.41 to observe the proceedings
7at a polling place. The board of absentee ballot canvassers may order the removal
8of any individual exercising the right to observe the proceedings if the individual
9disrupts the meeting.
SB685-SSA1,23 10Section 23 . 7.52 (1) (d) to (h) of the statutes are created to read:
SB685-SSA1,18,2311 7.52 (1) (d) 1. At 8 p.m. on the day before the election, and at 7 a.m., noon, and
128 p.m. on election day, the municipal clerk or his or her designee or municipal board
13of election commissioners shall provide to the county clerk of the county in which the
14municipality is located or the county board of election commissioners a statement
15that shows the total number of absentee ballots returned to the municipality and the
16total number of absentee ballots the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers
17has canvassed under this subsection. The county clerk or county board of election
18commissioners shall promptly post each statement on the website on which returns
19for the county are posted on election night under s. 7.60. In a municipality having
20a municipal board of election commissioners, the statement required under this
21paragraph shall also be posted on the website maintained by the municipal board of
22election commissioners. The statement may not include the names or addresses of
23any electors.
SB685-SSA1,19,3
12. An absentee ballot shall be considered canvassed for purposes of subd. 1. only
2after all tasks have been completed in the canvassing process except for the tallying
3of votes.
SB685-SSA1,19,184 (e) When the meeting of the board of absentee ballot canvassers recesses on the
5day before the election, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall secure the
6automatic tabulating equipment, and the areas where the programmed media,
7memory devices, and absentee ballots are housed, with tamper-evident security
8seals in a double-lock location such as a locked cabinet inside a locked office. Before
9resuming the canvassing of ballots on election day, the board of absentee ballot
10canvassers shall check and record the status of each tamper-evident seal. The board
11of absentee ballot canvassers shall immediately notify the commission of any
12evidence of tampering. If the board of absentee ballot canvassers discovers evidence
13of tampering with respect to automatic tabulating equipment, the canvass may not
14resume until the equipment is replaced and the replacement equipment is tested as
15provided in s. 5.84, except that public notice need not be provided 48 hours prior to
16the test. If the board of absentee ballot canvassers discovers evidence of tampering
17under this paragraph, the commission shall verify the accuracy of the absentee ballot
18count in the municipality in the election by doing all of the following:
SB685-SSA1,19,2119 1. Ordering the municipality to conduct a recount after the election of all
20absentee ballots cast in the municipality in the election. The commission's order
21shall establish procedures for the recount consistent with s. 9.01.
SB685-SSA1,19,2322 2. Auditing the election equipment in the same manner as audits are conducted
23under s. 7.08 (6).
SB685-SSA1,19,2524 (f) Votes on absentee ballots canvassed under this section may not be tallied
25until after the polls close on election day.
SB685-SSA1,20,4
1(g) No person may intentionally act in a manner that would give him or her the
2ability to know or to provide information on the tallied results from the ballots
3canvassed under this section before the polls close on election day. Whoever
4intentionally violates this paragraph is guilty of a Class I felony.
SB685-SSA1,20,75 (h) Canvassing absentee ballots on the day before the election under this
6section is optional except for each spring and general election and each special
7election or recall election if the special or recall election is for a state or national office.
SB685-SSA1,24 8Section 24 . 7.52 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,20,199 7.52 (2) In counting the absentee ballots, the board of absentee ballot
10canvassers shall use 2 duplicate copies of a single poll list for the entire municipality
11prepared in accordance with s. 6.36 (2). Upon accepting reviewing each absentee
12ballot certificate envelope to ensure that it satisfies all applicable legal
13requirements
, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall enter a poll list
14sequential count number on the poll list next to the name of the elector who voted
15the ballot, beginning with the number one. If the elector's name does not appear on
16the poll list, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall enter the number on a
17separate list maintained under this subsection. The board of absentee ballot
18canvassers shall record each elector's sequential count number on the face of the
19elector's certificate envelope.
SB685-SSA1,25 20Section 25 . 7.52 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,21,1921 7.52 (3) (a) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall first open the carrier
22envelope only, and, in such a manner that a member of the public, if he or she desired,
23could hear, announce the name of the absent elector or the identification serial
24number of the absent elector if the elector has a confidential listing under s. 6.47 (2).
25When the board of absentee ballot canvassers finds that the certification has been

1properly executed and the applicant is a qualified elector of the ward or election
2district, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall enter an indication, including
3the elector's sequential count number as provided under sub. (2),
on the poll list next
4to the applicant's name indicating an absentee ballot is cast by the elector. The board
5of absentee ballot canvassers shall then open the envelope containing the ballot in
6a manner so as not to deface or destroy the certification thereon . The board of
7absentee ballot canvassers shall take out the ballot without unfolding it or
8permitting it to be unfolded or examined
and shall remove the ballot from the
9certificate envelope without viewing who the elector voted for
. Unless the ballot is
10cast under s. 6.95, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall verify that the ballot
11has been endorsed by the issuing clerk. If the poll list indicates that proof of
12residence is required and no proof of residence is enclosed or the name or address on
13the document that is provided is not the same as the name and address shown on the
14poll list, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall proceed as provided under s.
156.97 (2). The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall mark the poll list number of
16each elector who casts an absentee ballot on the back of the elector's ballot.
The board
17of absentee ballot canvassers shall then deposit the ballot into the proper ballot box
18and enter the absent elector's name or poll list number after his or her name on the
19poll list
or automatic tabulating equipment.
SB685-SSA1,26 20Section 26 . 7.52 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,22,521 7.52 (4) (a) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then open the ballot
22box and remove and
count the number of ballots therein without examination except
23as is necessary to ascertain that each is a single ballot. If 2 or more ballots are folded
24together so as to appear as a single ballot, the board of absentee ballot canvassers
25shall lay them aside until the count is completed; and if, after a comparison of the

1count and the appearance of the ballots it appears to the board of absentee ballot
2canvassers that the ballots folded together were voted by the same person they shall
3not be counted but the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall mark them as to the
4reason for removal, set them aside, and carefully preserve them. The board of
5absentee ballot canvassers shall then proceed under par. (b).
SB685-SSA1,27 6Section 27 . 7.52 (9) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,22,117 7.52 (9) The governing body of any municipality that has provided by ordinance
8enacted under sub. (1) (a) 1. for the canvassing of absentee ballots at all elections held
9in the municipality under this section may by similar action rescind that decision.
10Thereafter, the absentee ballots at all elections held in the municipality shall be
11canvassed as provided in s. 6.88.
SB685-SSA1,28 12Section 28 . 7.52 (10) of the statutes is created to read:
SB685-SSA1,22,1513 7.52 (10) A member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers or other election
14official who willfully neglects or refuses to perform any of the duties prescribed under
15this section is guilty of a Class I felony.
SB685-SSA1,29 16Section 29. 7.52 (11) of the statutes is created to read:
SB685-SSA1,22,1817 7.52 (11) An ordinance under sub. (1) may not take effect less than 60 days
18before an election.
SB685-SSA1,30 19Section 30 . 12.60 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,22,2420 12.60 (1) (a) Whoever violates s. 12.09, 12.11 or 12.13 (1), (2) (b) 1. to 7. or (3)
21(a), (e), (f), (j), (k), (L), (m), (y) or (z) is guilty of a Class I felony. This paragraph does
22not apply to a violation of s. 12.13 (1) (a) by an individual who is determined ineligible
23to register to vote or to vote under s. 54.25 (2) (c) 1. g., but the individual's vote shall
24not be included in the final tally for that election.
SB685-SSA1,31 25Section 31 . 54.25 (2) (c) 1. g. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB685-SSA1,24,6
154.25 (2) (c) 1. g. The right to register to vote or to vote in an election, if the court
2finds that the individual is incapable of understanding the objective of the elective
3process. Also, in accordance with s. 6.03 (3), any elector of a municipality may
4petition the circuit court for a determination that an individual residing in the
5municipality is incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process and
6thereby ineligible to register to vote or to vote in an election. This determination
7shall be made by the court in accordance with the procedures specified in this
8paragraph. If a petition is filed under this subd. 1. g., the finding of the court shall
9be limited to a determination as to voting eligibility. The appointment of a guardian
10is not required for an individual whose sole limitation is ineligibility to vote. The
11court shall, no later than 3 days after the determination, notify the elections
12commission by email of the
determination of the court shall be communicated in
13writing by the clerk of court to the election official or agency charged under s. 6.48,
146.92, 6.925, 6.93, or 7.52 (5) with the responsibility for determining challenges to
15registration and voting that may be directed against that elector
. An email
16notification sent to the elections commission under this subd. 1. g. shall remain
17confidential, except as otherwise provided under s. 19.36. The court shall also, at the
18time of the determination, provide the determination in writing to the individual and
19the individual's guardian, if applicable.
The determination may be reviewed as
20provided in s. 54.64 (2), and the court shall notify the elections commission, the
21individual, and the individual's guardian, if applicable, by mail and email of
any
22subsequent determination of the court shall be likewise communicated by the clerk
23of court
. All notices provided to the elections commission under this subd. 1. g. shall
24include the full name; residential address, including city, state, and zip code; mailing
25address, if different than the residential address; and date of birth of the individual

1subject to the determination. If the court appoints a guardian for an individual who
2is ineligible to vote, the guardian shall, no later than 3 days after the determination,
3report any residential or mailing address change for the individual to the court, and
4the court shall immediately notify the elections commission of that address by email.
5The court shall use a standardized notice of eligibility form to communicate its
6determinations to the individual and the individual's guardian, if applicable
.
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