(k) “Local Filing Officer” means a filing officer other than the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
(l) “Nickname” has the meaning set forth in s. 5.02(12m), Stats., and means a familiar or shortened form of a proper name by which an individual is commonly known. (m) “Nomination Paper” means a petition to collect eligible signatures from persons who wish to nominate a candidate for an upcoming election. Nomination Papers must meet the requirements set forth in ss. 8.10 and 8.15, Stats., and the administrative code. (n) “Printed Name” means a handwritten name that is sufficiently legible, such that the signer’s name can be discerned by the filing officer.
(o) “Qualified Circulator” has the meaning given by s. 5.02(16g), Stats., and means a qualified elector of this state or any U.S. citizen age 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03, Stats. (q) “Signer” means a person who chooses to place their signature and related information on a nomination paper to support a candidate seeking ballot access. No person under the age of 18 may sign nomination papers. Age is determined on the date of signature, not based on the date of the election.
_Hlk165541332(r) “Substantial compliance” means actual compliance in respect to every reasonable objective of the statute. Substantial compliance with a statute is not shown unless it demonstrates intent to fully comply with the statute and that the purpose of the statute is shown to have been served. (s) “Voting Municipality” means that municipality that a signer is eligible to vote in for an election held on the date of signing as determined by the filing officer.
(2) Purpose. This section is promulgated pursuant to the direction of, and under the authority granted by, s. 8.07, Stats., and is to be used by filing officers in determining the validity of all nomination papers and the signatures and information on those papers. (3) Filing Nomination Papers.
(a) Candidate responsibility. Each candidate for public office bears responsibility for assuring that their nomination papers are prepared, circulated, signed, and filed in compliance with applicable statutory provisions and requirements under the administrative code.
(b) Physical possession. In order to be timely filed, all nomination papers shall be in the physical possession of the filing officer by the statutory deadline. Physical possession means the filing officer must have taken possession of the original nomination papers. No other format is acceptable.
(c) Numbering pages. Each of the nomination papers should be numbered, before they are filed, and the numbers should be assigned sequentially, beginning with the number “1”. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, neither the absence of a page number nor incorrect or non-consecutive numbering will invalidate the page or the signatures on that page.
(4) Sufficiency of Nomination Papers, General
_Hlk163557426(a) Reviewing number of signatures. The filing officer shall review all nomination papers filed with him or her, up to the maximum number permitted by the statute applicable to the relevant office, to determine the facial sufficiency of the papers filed. The filing officer shall utilize the procedure in ss. 8.10(7) and 8.15(9), Stats. for determining the maximum number of signatures necessary to establish whether the candidate has collected enough valid signatures. In determining facial sufficiency, the filing officer may consult maps, directories, and other extrinsic evidence to ascertain the correctness and sufficiency of information on a nomination paper, where circumstances and the time for review permit. Nothing in this provision shall constitute a defense against a challenge to the sufficiency of nomination papers. Facial review completed by a filing officer before the filing deadline is done as a courtesy only and does not bind a filing officer to a final determination of ballot access. (b) Presumption of validity. Any facially sufficient information which appears on a nomination paper is entitled to a presumption of validity.
(c) Substantial compliance. Where any required item of information on a nomination paper is incomplete, the filing officer shall accept the information as complete if there has been substantial compliance with applicable statutes and the administrative code.
(d) Removing signatures. After a nomination paper has been signed, but before it has been filed, a signature may be removed by the signer or the circulator. After a nomination paper has been filed, no signature may be added or removed. After a nomination paper has been filed, it may be amended, or an error or omission corrected, only through a valid correcting affidavit.
(5) Correcting affidavits. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, errors or omissions in information contained in a nomination paper, committed by either a signer or a circulator, may be corrected by an affidavit of the circulator, an affidavit of the candidate, or an affidavit of the signer. The person giving the correcting affidavit shall certify that they have personal knowledge of the correct information. Defects in the header of a nomination paper may not be changed or amended by affidavit after the paper has been circulated.
(a) Deadline. Any correcting affidavit shall be filed with the filing officer not later than 5 p.m. central time on the third calendar day after the applicable statutory due date for when a challenge to nomination papers may be filed. Correcting affidavits may be submitted electronically. If a correcting affidavit is submitted on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, it must be submitted via facsimile transmission or electronic mail directly to the filing officer.
(b) Correcting nomination papers not necessary. If a correcting affidavit is submitted, it amends the affected nomination papers on its own, and it is not necessary for the filing officer to edit or mark the nomination papers to be consistent with the changes in the affidavit.
(c) Determination. The filing officer shall determine whether any correcting affidavit resolves the identified error or omission.
(d) No new signatures. Correcting affidavits may not provide new or additional signatures or signature pages in addition to what was originally submitted to the filing official.
(6) Sufficiency of Nomination Papers, Signature Lines
(a) Number of signatures. Nomination papers shall contain at least the minimum required number of signatures from the circuit, county, district or jurisdiction which the candidate seeks to represent.
(b) Who may sign. A signer shall sign his or her own name unless unable to do so because of physical disability. A signer unable to sign because of physical disability shall be present when another person signs on behalf of the signer and shall specifically authorize the signing.
(c) No signing for spouses. A person may not sign for his or her spouse, or for any other signer, even when they have been given a power of attorney by that signer, unless s. EL 2.05(6)(b) applies.
(d) Only one signature per signer. Except as provided in s. EL 2.05(6)(d)(1)., only one signature per signer for the same office is valid. (1) Exception. Where a signer is entitled to vote for more than one candidate for the same office, that signer may sign the nomination papers of as many candidates for the same office as the signer is entitled to vote for at the election.
(e) Accompanying information. Each signature on a nomination paper shall be accompanied by the signer’s address, printed name, and date of signature.
(f) Ditto marks or “same.” A signature shall be counted when identical residential information or dates of signature for different signers are accurately indicated by ditto marks, another form of punctuation, or if an adjacent signer writes “same” or similar words to indicate that the residential information or signature dates are identical.
(g) Impact of circulator signature. No individual signature on a nomination paper may be counted if the signature is dated after the date that the circulator completed and signed the certification contained on the nomination paper. Any signature that is dated on or before the date of the circulator certification may be counted even if it appears on the same page as signatures dated after the circulator certification. The circulator shall provide their residential address. No signature on the page may be counted when the residential address of the circulator cannot be determined by the information given on the nomination paper. No signature may be counted if the date of circulator certification is incomplete or incorrect.
(h) Invalid individual signatures. An individual signature on a nomination paper may not be counted when any of the following occurs:
(1) Missing date. The date of the signature is missing, unless the date can be determined by reference to the dates of any of the other signatures on the paper, including those dates above or below the signature.
(2) Dated after circulator certification. The signature is dated after the date on which the circulator signed the certification.
(3) Missing or incomplete address. The address of the signer is missing or incomplete, unless the address can be determined by the information provided on the nomination paper. If the signer has abbreviated the name of their municipality, the address is substantially compliant provided the municipality can be determined from other information contained on the nomination paper.
(4) Unqualified elector. The signer has been adjudicated not to be a qualified elector on the grounds of incompetency or limited competency as provided in s. 6.03(3), Stats., or was not, for any other reason, a qualified elector at the time of signing the nomination paper. (5) Improper residence. The signer resides outside the circuit, county, district or jurisdiction that the candidate seeks to represent.
(6) Legibility. If the filing officer cannot discern the signer’s first and last name, after reviewing both the signature and printed name, it is illegible pursuant to s. 8.10 (4) (b) or s. 8.15 (2), Stats., and shall not be counted. The filing officer is not required to consult extrinsic sources of information to attempt to discern the signer’s name but may do so in their discretion if it assists in discerning a possible name. (7) Nicknames and initials. If the signer has used a nickname or initials for their first or middle name, whether in their printed name or their signature, the printed name or signature is substantially compliant provided the printed name or signature complies with s. EL 2.05(h)(6). No nickname or initial is considered substantially compliant for the signer’s last name.
(i) Death of the signer. The death of a signer after a nomination paper has been signed does not invalidate the signature.
(7) Sufficiency of Nomination Papers, Header.
(a) Office title and district designation. As to Office title and district designation, the header of a nomination paper is sufficient as long as the filing officer finds that the signers could determine the office and district the candidate was pursuing based solely upon information provided in the header.
(b) Election date. When the date of the election is entirely missing from the header of any nomination paper, the filing officer shall not count any of the signatures on the page. Incomplete or incorrect election dates can be found substantially compliant as long as the filing officer finds that signers could have determined based solely upon information provided in the header that the nomination papers corresponded with the correct election date.
