Chapter 6

6.36(1)(bm) (bm) The commission or any municipal clerk or board of election commissioners may transfer any information in the registration list to which access is restricted under par. (b) 1. a. to a law enforcement agency, as defined in s. 165.77 (1) (b), to be used for law enforcement purposes.

6.36(1)(bn) (bn) The commission may transfer any information in the registration list to which access is restricted under par. (b) 1. a. to a subunit of the state government of another state to be used for official purposes.

6.36(1)(c) (c) The list shall be designed in such a way that the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of any municipality and any election official who is authorized by the clerk or executive director of the board of election commissioners may, by electronic transmission, add entries to or change entries on the list for any elector who resides in, or who the list identifies as residing in, that municipality and no other municipality.

6.36(1)(d) (d) Upon receipt of official notification by the appropriate election administrative authority of another state, territory, or possession that an elector whose name appears on the list has registered to vote in that state, territory, or possession, the commission or the municipal clerk of the municipality where the elector formerly resided shall change the elector’s registration from eligible to ineligible status.

6.36(1)(e) (e) If the commission adds the name of any elector to the list, the commission shall promptly notify the municipal clerk of the municipality where the elector resides. If the commission changes the registration of any elector from eligible to ineligible status, the commission shall promptly notify the municipal clerk of the municipality where the elector resides or, if the elector has changed his or her residence from one municipality to another municipality in this state, shall promptly notify the municipal clerk of the municipality where the elector resided prior to the change. Notification shall be made in writing or by electronic transmission. If the commission changes the registration of any elector from eligible to ineligible status, the commission shall make an entry on the list giving the date of and the reason for the change.

6.36(1)(f) (f) The commission shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the list is maintained in a manner that precludes unauthorized persons from making alterations to the list.

6.36(2) (2) 

6.36(2)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), each registration list prepared for use as a poll list at a polling place or for purposes of canvassing absentee ballots at an election shall contain the full name and address of each registered elector; a blank column for the entry of the serial number of the electors when they vote or the poll list number used by the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers in canvassing absentee ballots; an indication next to the name of each elector for whom proof of residence under s. 6.34 is required; a space for entry of the type of and the name of the entity or institution that issued the identifying document submitted by the elector as proof of residence when proof of residence under s. 6.34 is required; a space for entry of the elector’s signature, or if another person signed the elector’s registration form for the elector by reason of the elector’s physical disability, the word “exempt”; and a form of certificate bearing the certification of the commission administrator stating that the list is a true and complete registration list of the municipality or the ward or wards for which the list is prepared. The commission shall, by rule, prescribe the space and location for entry of each elector’s signature on the poll list which shall provide for entry of the signature without changing the orientation of the poll list from the orientation used by the election officials.

6.36(2)(b) (b) If an elector obtains a confidential listing under s. 6.47 (2), the registration list shall be prepared such that the address of the elector does not appear on copies of the list that are used at polling places.

6.36(2)(c) (c) The list shall contain, next to the name of each elector, an indication of whether proof of residence under s. 6.34 is required for the elector to be permitted to vote. If proof of residence is provided, the type of identifying document submitted by the elector and the name of the entity or institution that issued the identifying document, or an indication that the information provided by the elector in lieu of proof of residence was verified under s. 6.34 (2m), shall be entered on the list in the space provided. Except as provided in s. 6.34 (2m), proof of residence is required if the elector is not a military elector or an overseas elector and the elector registers by mail or by electronic application and has not previously voted in an election in this state.

6.36(3) (3) The original registration forms shall be controlling whenever discrepancies occur in entering information from the forms under s. 6.33 (5).

6.36(4) (4) The names and identification serial numbers of electors who have obtained a confidential listing under s. 6.47 (2) shall appear separately after the remainder of the list. These names and serial numbers shall be arranged alphabetically by last name.

6.36(6) (6) The commission shall establish by rule the fee for obtaining a copy of the official registration list, or a portion of the list, including access to the subscription service established under s. 5.05 (14) (b). The amount of the fee shall be set, after consultation with county and municipal election officials, at an amount estimated to cover both the cost of reproduction and the cost of maintaining the list at the state and local level. The rules shall require that revenues from fees received be shared between the state and municipalities or their designees under s. 6.33 (5) (b), and shall specify a method for such allocation.

6.36 History History: 1971 c. 304 s. 29 (2); 1975 c. 85; 1977 c. 394 ss. 21, 22, 53; 1999 a. 49; 2003 a. 265, 327; 2005 a. 451; 2007 a. 1, 52, 96; 2011 a. 23, 75; 2013 a. 182; 2015 a. 118 ss. 73 to 75, 266 (10); 2015 a. 261; 2017 a. 366.

6.36 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. EL 3.50, Wis. adm. code.

6.45 6.45 Access to registration list.

6.45(1) (1) After the deadline for revision of the registration list, the municipal clerk shall make copies of the list for election use.

6.45(1m) (1m) The registration list and any supplemental lists which are prepared at polling places or other registration locations under s. 6.55, shall be open to public inspection. Under the regulations prescribed by the municipal clerk, any person may copy the registration list at the office of the clerk. A registration list maintained at a polling place may be examined by any person who is observing the proceedings under s. 7.41 when such use does not interfere with the conduct of the election. This subsection does not apply to information that is confidential under s. 6.47.

6.45(2) (2) The municipal clerk shall furnish upon request to each candidate who has filed nomination papers for an office which represents at least part of the residents of the municipality one copy of the current registration list for those areas for which he or she is a candidate for a fee not to exceed the cost of reproduction. The clerk shall exclude information that is confidential under s. 6.47 (2) from copies of the list, except as authorized under s. 6.47 (8).

6.45 History History: 1975 c. 85, 199; 1977 c. 394 s. 53; 1983 a. 484; 1989 a. 192; 1999 a. 49, 182; 2001 a. 38; 2013 a. 166.

6.45 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. EL 3.50, Wis. adm. code.

6.46 6.46 Poll lists; copying.

6.46(1) (1) Poll lists shall be preserved by the municipal clerk until destruction or other disposition is authorized under s. 7.23.

6.46(2) (2) Poll lists shall be open to public inspection, except as provided in s. 6.47. The municipal clerk shall furnish upon request to each candidate who has filed nomination papers for an office which represents at least part of the municipality one copy of the current poll list for those areas for which he or she is a candidate for a fee not to exceed the cost of reproduction. If a copying machine is not accessible, the clerk shall remove the lists from the office for the purposes of copying, and return them immediately thereafter. The clerk shall exclude information that is confidential under s. 6.47 (2) from copies of the list, except as authorized under s. 6.47 (8).

6.46 History History: 1975 c. 85, 199; 1999 a. 49.

6.46 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. EL 3.50, Wis. adm. code.

6.47 6.47 Confidentiality of information relating to victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.

6.47(1) (1) In this section:

6.47(1)(ag) (ag) “Domestic abuse victim service provider” means an organization that is certified by the department of children and families as eligible to receive grants under s. 49.165 (2) and whose name is included on the list provided by the commission under s. 7.08 (10).

6.47(1)(am) (am) “Eligible individual” means:

6.47(1)(am)1. 1. An individual who has been granted a protective order that is in effect.

6.47(1)(am)2. 2. An individual who files an affidavit with the municipal clerk of the municipality where the individual resides, on a form prescribed by the commission, that is signed by a sheriff, the chief of a police department, or a district attorney or the authorized representative of a sheriff, chief, or district attorney and directed to the municipal clerk, and that verifies that a person has been charged with or convicted of an offense relating to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking in which the individual was a victim and reasonably continues to be threatened by that person.

6.47(1)(am)3. 3. An individual who resides in a shelter.

6.47(1)(am)4. 4. An individual who submits a dated statement to the municipal clerk that includes the individual’s full name, that is signed by an authorized representative of a domestic abuse victim service provider or a sexual assault victim service provider, and that indicates that the individual received services from the provider within the 24-month period ending on the date of the statement.

6.47(1)(am)5. 5. An individual who is a participant in the program established in s. 165.68.

6.47(1)(b) (b) “Offense relating to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking” means an offense specified in s. 940.19, 940.20 (1m), 940.201, 940.22, 940.225, 940.235, 940.32, 947.013, 948.02, 948.025, 948.06, 948.085, 948.09, or 948.095.

6.47(1)(c) (c) “Protected individual” means an individual whose name and address is confidential under sub. (2).

6.47(1)(d) (d) “Protective order” means a temporary restraining order or an injunction issued under s. 813.12 or 813.125.

6.47(1)(dm) (dm) “Sexual assault victim service provider” means an organization that is certified by the department of justice as eligible to receive grants under s. 165.93 (2) and whose name is included on the list provided by the commission under s. 7.08 (10).

6.47(1)(e) (e) “Shelter” means a place where at least 4 unrelated individuals reside that provides residential shelter to individuals whose personal security is or may be threatened by family members or other persons with whom the individuals have had contact.

6.47(2) (2) Except as authorized in sub. (8), the commission, each municipal clerk, each agent designated under s. 6.33 (5) (b), and each election official shall withhold from public inspection under s. 19.35 (1) the name and address of any eligible individual whose name appears on a poll list or registration list if the individual provides the municipal clerk with a valid written request to protect the individual’s confidentiality. To be valid, a request under this subsection must be accompanied by a copy of a protective order that is in effect, an affidavit under sub. (1) (am) 2. that is dated within 30 days of the date of the request, confirmation from the department of justice that the person is a program participant, as provided under s. 165.68 (4) (c), a statement signed by the operator or an authorized agent of the operator of a shelter that is dated within 30 days of the date of the request and that indicates that the operator operates the shelter and that the individual making the request resides in the shelter, or a statement signed by an authorized representative of a domestic abuse victim service provider or a sexual assault victim service provider under sub. (1) (am) 4. that is dated within 30 days of the date of the request. A physically disabled individual who appears personally at the office of the municipal clerk accompanied by another elector of this state may designate that elector to make a request under this subsection on his or her behalf.

6.47(3) (3) Upon receiving a valid written request from an elector under sub. (2), the municipal clerk shall issue to the elector a voting identification card on a form prescribed by the commission that shall contain the name of the elector’s municipality of residence and, in the case of a town, the county in which the town is located, the elector’s name, the ward in which the elector resides, if any, and a unique identification serial number issued by the commission. The number issued to an elector under this subsection shall not be changed for so long as the elector continues to qualify for a listing under sub. (2).

6.47(4) (4) 

6.47(4)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b) and sub. (5), a confidential listing under sub. (2) expires on the date that a protective order expires, the date that the protected individual ceases to reside in a shelter, the date that updated information is received from a sheriff, the chief of a police department, or a district attorney or the authorized representative of a sheriff, chief, or district attorney, or at the end of the 24-month period that follows creation or renewal of the listing under sub. (2), whichever is earlier.

6.47(4)(b) (b) A confidential listing under sub. (2) that is issued to a program participant expires on the date the individual’s participation in the program expires pursuant to s. 165.68 (3) (b) 4. a. or on the date the individual cancels his or her participation in the program pursuant to s. 165.68 (3) (b) 4. f. or is disenrolled from the program pursuant to s. 165.68 (3) (b) 4. e.

6.47(5) (5) 

6.47(5)(a) (a) The municipal clerk shall cancel a confidential listing under sub. (2) if:

6.47(5)(a)1. 1. The clerk receives notification from a sheriff, chief of police, or district attorney or the authorized representative of a sheriff, chief, or district attorney under sub. (10).

6.47(5)(a)2. 2. The name of the protected individual is legally changed.

6.47(5)(a)3. 3. The protected individual changes his or her address without notifying the municipal clerk.

6.47(5)(a)4. 4. The municipal clerk finds that the protected individual provided false information to the clerk for the purpose of obtaining a confidential listing under sub. (2).

6.47(5)(b) (b) An individual whose confidential listing is canceled under par. (a) may file a new request and qualify under sub. (2) to obtain a renewal of the listing.

6.47(6) (6) Upon expiration of a confidential listing on a registration list under sub. (2), the municipal clerk shall change the registration of the protected individual to ineligible status unless the individual files a new request and qualifies under sub. (2) to obtain a renewal of the listing or unless the individual applies for and qualifies to obtain a nonconfidential voter registration. Except as authorized in sub. (8), the municipal clerk shall withhold from public inspection under s. 19.35 (1) the name and address of any individual whose registration is changed under this subsection if the individual qualified for a confidential listing at the time of that listing.

6.47(7) (7) 

6.47(7)(a) (a) If the municipal clerk has notice that a confidential listing under sub. (2) is scheduled to expire, the municipal clerk shall provide 30 days’ notice to the protected individual of the scheduled expiration of the listing.

6.47(7)(b) (b) If notice to a protected individual is not provided under par. (a), the municipal clerk shall provide notice to the subject individual upon changing a listed individual to ineligible status under sub. (6).

6.47(8) (8) The municipal clerk shall provide access to a name and address under sub. (2):

6.47(8)(a) (a) To a law enforcement officer for official purposes.

6.47(8)(b) (b) To a state or local governmental officer pursuant to a specific law that necessitates obtaining the name or address.

6.47(8)(c) (c) Pursuant to a court order citing a reason that access to the name or address should be provided.

6.47(8)(e) (e) At the request of a protected individual, for purposes of permitting that individual to sign a petition under s. 59.05 (2).

6.47(9) (9) No person who obtains access to a name or address under sub. (8) may disclose the name or address to any person other than a public employee for the same purpose for which the information was obtained.

6.47(10) (10) If a sheriff, chief of a police department, or district attorney has signed or the authorized representative of a sheriff, chief, or district attorney has signed an affidavit under sub. (1) (am) 2. and the sheriff, chief, district attorney or authorized representative later obtains information that the person who was charged with an offense relating to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking is no longer so charged or that the person’s judgment of conviction has been vacated, and the charge or conviction was the sole basis for the affidavit, the sheriff, chief, district attorney or authorized representative shall provide written notice of that information to the municipal clerk to whom the affidavit was directed.

6.47 History History: 1999 a. 49, 186; 2003 a. 265; 2005 a. 253, 277, 278; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 180; 2013 a. 362; 2015 a. 118 s. 266 (10); 2015 a. 356, 372; 2017 a. 144.

6.48 6.48 Challenging registration.

6.48(1) (1) General procedure.

6.48(1)(a) (a) Any registered elector of a municipality may challenge the registration of any other registered elector by submitting to the municipal clerk or executive director of the board of election commissioners in cities of more than 500,000 population an affidavit stating that the elector is not qualified to vote and the reasons therefor. The clerk or director, upon receipt of the affidavit, shall mail a notification of the challenge to the challenged elector, at his or her registered address.

6.48(1)(b) (b) The challenged and challenging electors shall appear before the municipal clerk within one week of notification or arrange under sub. (2) to appear before the board of election commissioners. The challenging elector shall make an affidavit answering any questions necessary to determine the challenged elector’s qualifications. Judgment rests with the municipal clerk and decisions shall be rendered as soon as heard. If the clerk cannot resolve the issue or has reservations as to the answers, the clerk may require the challenging elector to take the oath under s. 6.925. If the challenged elector appears and contests any answer of the challenging elector, the clerk may require the challenged elector to take the oath under s. 6.94 and to answer any question necessary to determine the challenged elector’s qualifications. If the challenging elector appears before the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners but the challenged elector fails to appear, such clerk or board may make the decision without consulting the challenged elector. If the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners does not sustain the challenge, the challenged elector’s registration remains valid.

6.48(1)(c) (c) If the challenging elector fails to appear before the municipal clerk within one week or in cities of more than 500,000 population fails to appear before the board of election commissioners under sub. (2) to answer questions and take the oath under s. 6.925, such clerk or board shall cancel the challenge.

6.48(1)(d) (d) If the clerk determines that the challenged elector is not qualified, the clerk shall change the challenged elector’s registration from eligible to ineligible status on the registration list and notify the inspectors for the ward or election district where the elector was registered.

6.48(2) (2) Special procedure in populous cities.

6.48(2)(a) (a) In cities of more than 500,000 population, objections may be made before the board of election commissioners which shall sit on the last Wednesday before each election from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to hear objections then made or deferred under sub. (1). If all the objections cannot then be determined, the commissioners shall sit during the same hours the next day.

6.48(2)(b) (b) Upon appearing in person, objectors shall be examined, under oath, by the commissioners and testimony taken. Judgment rests with the board of election commissioners and decisions shall be rendered as soon as heard. All cases are heard and decided summarily. The commissioners shall determine whether the person objected to is qualified. If they determine that a person is not qualified, the executive director of the board of election commissioners shall change the elector from eligible to ineligible status on the registration list and shall notify the proper ward officials of the change immediately.

6.48(3) (3) Challenge based on incompetency. Section 6.03 (3) applies to any challenge which is made to registration based on an allegation that an elector is incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process and thereby ineligible for registration.

6.48(4) (4) Disqualification. The municipal clerk or board of election commissioners may not disqualify an elector under this section except upon the grounds and in accordance with the procedure specified in s. 6.325.

6.48 History History: 1971 c. 304 s. 29 (2); 1973 c. 334; 1975 c. 85, 199; 1977 c. 394; 1979 c. 110; 1983 a. 484; 1985 a. 304; 1987 a. 391; 2003 a. 265.

6.50 6.50 Revision of registration list.

6.50(1) (1) No later than June 15 following each general election, the commission shall examine the registration records for each municipality and identify each elector who has not voted within the previous 4 years if qualified to do so during that entire period and shall mail a notice to the elector in substantially the following form:

“NOTICE OF SUSPENSION OF
REGISTRATION

You are hereby notified that your voter registration will be suspended, according to state law, for failure to vote within the previous 4-year period, unless you apply for continuation of your registration within 30 days. You may continue your registration by signing the statement below and returning it to the office of the municipal clerk .... (mailing address and telephone number of office of municipal clerk or board of election commissioners) by mail or in person.

APPLICATION FOR CONTINUATION
OF REGISTRATION

I hereby certify that I still reside at the address at which I am registered and apply for continuation of registration.

Signed ....

Present Address ....

If you have changed your residence within this municipality or changed your name, please contact the office of the municipal clerk .... (mailing address and telephone number of office of municipal clerk or board of election commissioners) to complete a change of name or address form.

[Office of clerk or board of election commissioners

Address

Telephone]”.

6.50(2) (2) If an elector to whom a notice of suspension was mailed under sub. (1) has not applied for continuation of registration within 30 days of the date of mailing, the commission shall change the registration status of that elector from eligible to ineligible on the day that falls 30 days after the date of mailing.