March 17, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Sortwell, Behnke, Brill, Kreibich and Wichgers, cosponsored by Senator Jacque. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
AB149,1,2
1An Act to amend 8.18 (1); to create 8.18 (3) of the statutes; relating to: the
2nomination of presidential electors. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday in October of each year in which there is a presidential election, the following members of a political party must convene in the state capitol to nominate the party’s presidential electors: candidates for state senate or assembly, state officers, and holdover state senators. A vote for a party’s candidates for president and vice president in the presidential election is a vote for the party’s presidential electors so nominated. After the election, the presidential electors of the winning candidates for president and vice president then convene and transmit their votes for president and vice president to Congress.
Under this bill, if, in a presidential election year, a political party does not have a candidate for state senate or assembly, state officer, or holdover state senator, in lieu of a convention described above, no later than 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday in October preceding the presidential election, the chairperson of the state committee of the political party must nominate the party’s presidential electors.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB149,1
1Section 1. 8.18 (1) of the statutes is amended to read: AB149,2,628.18 (1) Candidates Except as provided under sub. (3), candidates for the 3senate and assembly nominated by each political party at the primary, the state 4officers, and the holdover state senators of each political party shall meet in the 5state capitol at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday in October of each year in which there 6is a presidential election. AB149,27Section 2. 8.18 (3) of the statutes is created to read: AB149,2,1388.18 (3) If, in a presidential election year, a political party does not have a 9candidate for the senate or assembly nominated by the political party at the 10primary, state officer, or holdover state senator, in lieu of a convention under sub. 11(1), no later than 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday in October preceding the presidential 12election, the chairperson of the state committee of the political party shall do all of 13the following: AB149,2,1514(a) Nominate for the party one presidential elector from each congressional 15district and 2 electors from the state at large. AB149,2,1716(b) Immediately certify the names of the nominees under par. (a) to the 17chairperson of the commission.
