Chapter 7

7.52(1) (1) 

7.52(1)(a) (a) The governing body of any municipality may provide by ordinance that, in lieu of canvassing absentee ballots at polling places under s. 6.88, the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers designated under s. 7.53 (2m) shall, at each election held in the municipality, canvass all absentee ballots received by the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on election day. Prior to enacting an ordinance under this subsection, the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of the municipality shall notify the elections commission in writing of the proposed enactment and shall consult with the elections commission concerning administration of this section. At every election held in the municipality following enactment of an ordinance under this subsection, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall, any time after the opening of the polls and before 10 p.m. on election day, publicly convene to count the absentee ballots for the municipality. The municipal clerk shall give at least 48 hours’ notice of any meeting under this subsection. Any member of the public has the same right of access to a meeting of the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers under this subsection that the individual would have under s. 7.41 to observe the proceedings at a polling place. The board of absentee ballot canvassers may order the removal of any individual exercising the right to observe the proceedings if the individual disrupts the meeting.

7.52(1)(b) (b) A municipality that adopts the canvassing procedure under this section may appoint additional inspectors under s. 7.30 (2) (a) to assist the absentee ballot board of canvassers in canvassing absentee ballots under this section. In such case, an odd number of inspectors shall be appointed, and at no time may there be less than 3 inspectors who serve. Except as authorized in s. 7.30 (4) (c), all inspectors shall be affiliated with one of the 2 recognized political parties receiving the largest numbers of votes for president, or for governor in nonpresidential general election years, in the municipality. The party whose candidate received the largest number of votes in the municipality is entitled to one more inspector than the party whose candidate received the next largest number of votes in the municipality. Each inspector so appointed shall be a qualified elector of the municipality. The inspectors who are appointed under this paragraph shall serve under the direction and supervision of the board of absentee ballot canvassers.

7.52(1)(c) (c) In each municipality where absentee ballots are canvassed under this section, no later than the closing hour of the polls, the municipal clerk shall post at his or her office and on the Internet at a site announced by the clerk before the polls open, and shall make available to any person upon request, a statement of the number of absentee ballots that the clerk has mailed or transmitted to electors and that have been returned by the closing hour on election day. The posting shall not include the names or addresses of any electors.

7.52(2) (2) In counting the absentee ballots, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall use 2 duplicate copies of a single poll list for the entire municipality prepared in accordance with s. 6.36 (2). Upon accepting each absentee ballot, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall enter a poll list number on the poll list next to the name of the elector who voted the ballot, beginning with the number one. If the elector’s name does not appear on the poll list, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall enter the number on a separate list maintained under this subsection.

7.52(3) (3) 

7.52(3)(a) (a) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall first open the carrier envelope only, and, in such a manner that a member of the public, if he or she desired, could hear, announce the name of the absent elector or the identification serial number of the absent elector if the elector has a confidential listing under s. 6.47 (2). When the board of absentee ballot canvassers finds that the certification has been properly executed and the applicant is a qualified elector of the ward or election district, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall enter an indication on the poll list next to the applicant’s name indicating an absentee ballot is cast by the elector. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then open the envelope containing the ballot in a manner so as not to deface or destroy the certification thereon. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall take out the ballot without unfolding it or permitting it to be unfolded or examined. Unless the ballot is cast under s. 6.95, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall verify that the ballot has been endorsed by the issuing clerk. If the poll list indicates that proof of residence is required and no proof of residence is enclosed or the name or address on the document that is provided is not the same as the name and address shown on the poll list, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall proceed as provided under s. 6.97 (2). The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall mark the poll list number of each elector who casts an absentee ballot on the back of the elector’s ballot. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then deposit the ballot into the proper ballot box and enter the absent elector’s name or poll list number after his or her name on the poll list.

7.52(3)(b) (b) When the board of absentee ballot canvassers finds that a certification is insufficient, that the applicant is not a qualified elector in the ward or election district, that the ballot envelope is open or has been opened and resealed, that the ballot envelope contains more than one ballot of any one kind, or that the certificate of a military or overseas elector who received an absentee ballot by facsimile transmission or electronic mail is missing, or if proof is submitted to the board of absentee ballot canvassers that an elector voting an absentee ballot has since died, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall not count the ballot. Each member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall endorse every ballot not counted on the back as “rejected (giving the reason).” The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall reinsert each rejected ballot into the certificate envelope in which it was delivered and enclose the certificate envelopes and ballots, and securely seal the ballots and envelopes in an envelope marked for rejected absentee ballots. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall endorse the envelope as “rejected ballots,” with a statement of the ward or election district and date of the election, and each member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall sign the statement. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then return the envelope containing the ballots to the municipal clerk.

7.52(4) (4) 

7.52(4)(a) (a) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then open the ballot box and remove and count the number of ballots therein without examination except as is necessary to ascertain that each is a single ballot. If 2 or more ballots are folded together so as to appear as a single ballot, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall lay them aside until the count is completed; and if, after a comparison of the count and the appearance of the ballots it appears to the board of absentee ballot canvassers that the ballots folded together were voted by the same person they shall not be counted but the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall mark them as to the reason for removal, set them aside, and carefully preserve them. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then proceed under par. (b).

7.52(4)(b) (b) When during the counting of the ballots cast at an election the board of absentee ballot canvassers finds that a ballot is so defective that it cannot determine with reasonable certainty for whom it was cast, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall so mark the ballot and preserve it. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall not count the vote cast on the ballot for any office for which it determines the ballot to be defective.

7.52(4)(c) (c) Whenever the number of ballots exceeds the number of voting electors as indicated on the poll list, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall place all ballots face up to check for blank ballots. In this paragraph, “blank ballot” means a ballot on which no votes are cast for any office or question. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall mark, lay aside, and preserve any blank ballots. If the number of ballots still exceeds the number of voting electors, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall place all ballots face down and proceed to check for the initials. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall mark, lay aside, and preserve any ballot not bearing the initials of the municipal clerk. During the count, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall count those ballots cast by challenged electors the same as the other ballots.

7.52(4)(d) (d) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall keep a written statement, in duplicate, of the number of ballots set aside and the number of defective ballots and challenged ballots. The statement shall contain a record of the reasons for setting aside each ballot and the reasons why each defective or challenged ballot is defective or challenged. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall certify that the statement is correct, sign it, and attach it to the tally sheets.

7.52(4)(e) (e) If, after any ballots have been set aside, the number of ballots still exceeds the total number of electors recorded on the poll list, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall place the absentee ballots in the ballot box and one of the members shall publicly and without examination draw therefrom by chance the number of ballots equal to the excess number of ballots. All ballots so removed shall not be counted but shall be specially marked as having been removed by the board of absentee ballot canvassers on original canvass due to an excess number of ballots, set aside, and preserved. When the number of ballots and total shown on the poll list agree, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall return all ballots to be counted to the ballot box and shall turn the ballot box in such manner as to thoroughly mix the ballots. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then open, count, and record the number of votes. When the ballots are counted, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall separate them into piles for ballots similarly voted. Objections may be made to placement of ballots in the piles at the time the separation is made.

7.52(4)(f) (f) If corrected ballots under s. 5.06 (6) or 5.72 (3) are distributed under s. 7.10 (3), only the votes cast on the corrected ballots may be counted for any office or referendum in which the original ballots differ from the corrected ballots.

7.52(4)(g) (g) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall place together all ballots counted by it that relate to any national, state, or county office or any state, county, or technical college district referendum and secure them together so they cannot be untied or tampered with without breaking the seal. The secured ballots, together with any ballots marked “Defective,” shall then be secured by the board of absentee ballot canvassers in the ballot container in such a manner that the container cannot be opened without breaking the seals or locks, or destroying the container. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall place the ballots cast under s. 6.97 in a separate, securely sealed carrier envelope which is clearly marked “Section 6.97 ballots.” Each member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall sign the carrier envelope. The carrier envelope shall not be placed in the ballot container. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then deliver the ballots to the municipal clerk in the ballot container and carrier envelope.

7.52(4)(h) (h) For ballots that relate only to municipal or school district offices or referenda, the board of absentee ballot canvassers, in lieu of par. (a), after counting the ballots shall return them to the proper ballot boxes, lock the boxes, paste paper over the slots, sign their names to the paper, and deliver them and the keys therefor to the municipal or school district clerk. The clerk shall retain the ballots until destruction is authorized under s. 7.23.

7.52(4)(i) (i) All absentee certificate envelopes that have been opened shall be returned by the board of absentee ballot canvassers to the municipal clerk in a securely sealed carrier envelope that is clearly marked “used absentee certificate envelopes.” The envelopes shall be signed by each member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers. Except when the ballots are used in a municipal or school district election only, the municipal clerk shall transmit the used envelopes to the county clerk.

7.52(5) (5) 

7.52(5)(a) (a) The vote of any absent elector may be challenged by any elector for cause and the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall have all the power and authority given the inspectors to hear and determine the legality of the ballot the same as if the ballot had been voted in person.

7.52(5)(b) (b) For the purpose of deciding upon ballots that are challenged for any reason, the board of absentee ballot canvassers may call before it any person whose absentee ballot is challenged if the person is available to be called. If the person challenged refuses to answer fully any relevant questions put to him or her by the board of absentee ballot canvassers under s. 6.92, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall reject the person’s vote. If the challenge is not withdrawn after the person offering to vote has answered the questions, one of the members of the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall administer to the person the following oath or affirmation: “You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that: you are 18 years of age; you are a citizen of the United States; you are now and for 28 consecutive days have been a resident of this ward except under s. 6.02 (2), stats.; you have not voted at this election; you have not made any bet or wager or become directly or indirectly interested in any bet or wager depending upon the result of this election; you are not on any other ground disqualified to vote at this election.” If the person challenged refuses to take the oath or affirmation, the person’s vote shall be rejected. If the person challenged answers fully all relevant questions put to the elector by the board of absentee ballot canvassers under s. 6.92, takes the oath or affirmation, and fulfills the applicable registration requirements, and if the answers to the questions given by the person indicate that the person meets the voting qualification requirements, the person’s vote shall be received.

7.52(6) (6) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall review each certificate envelope to determine whether any absentee ballot is cast by an elector whose name appears on the poll list as ineligible to vote at the election, including ineligibility to vote by reason of a felony conviction. If the board of absentee ballot canvassers receives an absentee ballot that has been cast by an elector whose name appears on the poll list as ineligible to vote, the inspectors shall challenge the ballot in the same manner as provided for inspectors making challenges under s. 6.92 and shall treat the ballot in the manner as provided for treatment of challenged ballots by inspectors under s. 6.95.

7.52(7) (7) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall maintain tally sheets on forms provided by the municipal clerk, which shall state the total number of votes cast for each office and for each individual receiving votes for that office, whether or not the individual’s name appears on the ballot, and shall state the vote for and against each proposition voted on. Upon completion of the canvass of the absentee ballots, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall immediately complete statements in duplicate. The statements shall state the excess, if any, by which the number of ballots exceeds the number of electors voting as shown by the poll list used by the board of absentee ballot canvassers under this section and shall state the poll list number of the last elector as shown by the poll list. Each member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall then certify to the correctness of the statements and tally sheets and sign their names. All other election officials assisting with the tally shall also certify to the correctness of the tally sheets. When the tally is complete, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall publicly announce the results from the statements, and the records of the count are open to public inspection and copying under s. 19.35 (1).

7.52(8) (8) The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall make full and accurate return of the votes cast for each candidate and proposition on the tally sheet forms. Each tally sheet shall record the returns for each office or referendum by ward, unless combined returns are authorized in accordance with s. 5.15 (6) (b), in which case the tally sheet shall record the returns for each group of combined wards. After recording the votes, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall seal in a carrier envelope outside the ballot bag or container one inspector’s statement under sub. (4) (d), one tally sheet, and one poll list for delivery to the county clerk, unless the election relates only to school district offices or referenda or municipal offices or referenda. The board of absentee ballot canvassers shall also similarly seal one statement, one tally sheet, and one poll list for delivery to the municipal clerk.

7.52(9) (9) The governing body of any municipality that has provided by ordinance enacted under sub. (1) for the canvassing of absentee ballots at all elections held in the municipality under this section may by similar action rescind that decision. Thereafter, the absentee ballots at all elections held in the municipality shall be canvassed as provided in s. 6.88.

7.52 History History: 2005 a. 451; 2011 a. 23, 75, 115, 227; 2015 a. 118; 2017 a. 59.

7.53 7.53 Municipal canvass.

7.53(1) (1) Municipalities with one polling place.

7.53(1)(a) (a) Where the municipality constitutes one ward or combines all wards to utilize a single polling place under s. 5.15 (6) (b), the canvass of the votes cast at the polling place shall be conducted publicly under s. 7.51 and the inspectors, other than any inspector appointed under s. 7.30 (1) (b), shall act as the municipal board of canvassers. The inspectors shall then complete the return statement for all votes cast at the polling place. If there are no provisional ballots that are eligible to be counted under s. 6.97 and no absentee ballots are being canvassed under s. 7.52, the inspectors may complete and sign the canvass statement and determination on election night. In municipalities where absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, after the canvass of the absentee ballots is completed under s. 7.52, the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall reconcile the poll list of the electors who vote by absentee ballot with the corresponding poll list of the electors who vote in person to ensure that no elector is allowed to cast more than one ballot. If an elector who votes in person has submitted an absentee ballot, the absentee ballot is void. Except as authorized in par. (b), if one or more electors of the municipality have cast provisional ballots that are eligible to be counted under s. 6.97, the inspectors, acting as the board of canvassers, shall reconvene no later than 9 a.m. on the Monday after the election to count the valid provisional ballots and shall adjust the returns accordingly. The inspectors, acting as the board of canvassers, need not reconvene if the municipal clerk certifies that he or she has received no provisional ballots from the time that the board of canvassers completed the initial canvass and 4 p.m. on the Friday after the election. Upon completion of the canvass under this paragraph and any canvass that is conducted under s. 7.52 and ascertainment of the results by the inspectors or, in municipalities where absentee ballots are canvassed under s. 7.52, by the inspectors and the board of absentee ballot canvassers, the municipal clerk shall publicly read to the inspectors or the board of absentee ballot canvassers the names of the persons voted for and the number of votes for each person for each municipal office, the names of the persons declared by the inspectors or board of absentee ballot canvassers to have won nomination or election to each municipal office, and the number of votes cast for and against each municipal referendum question.

7.53(1)(b) (b) Solely for purposes of the reconvention of a board of canvassers under par. (a) for a specific election, the municipal clerk may determine to replace the members of the board of canvassers with a 3-member board of canvassers consisting of the clerk, the chief inspector, and one other inspector who shall be appointed by the clerk. If the municipal clerk is a candidate at the election being canvassed or is unable to serve, the other 2 members shall appoint a qualified elector of the municipality to serve in place of the clerk. If one of the other members is unable to serve, the municipal clerk shall appoint a qualified elector of the municipality to serve in place of that member. The person or persons making any appointment under this paragraph shall do so by letter which shall be signed by the person or persons, dated, and filed in the office of the municipal clerk. Upon the appointment and qualification of all members, the reconstituted board of canvassers shall then reconvene and carry out its responsibilities under par. (a).

7.53(2) (2) Municipalities with 2 or more wards.

7.53(2)(a) (a)

7.53(2)(a)1. 1. Except as provided in par. (c), the municipal board of canvassers for municipal elections in each municipality utilizing more than one polling place shall be composed of the municipal clerk and 2 other qualified electors of the municipality appointed by the clerk. The members of the board of canvassers shall serve for 2-year terms commencing on January 1 of each even-numbered year, except that any member who is appointed to fill a permanent vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term of the original appointee.

7.53(2)(a)2. 2. If the municipal clerk’s office is vacant or if the clerk cannot perform his or her duties, the mayor, president or board chairperson of the municipality shall designate another qualified elector of the municipality to serve in lieu of the clerk for that election.

7.53(2)(a)3. 3. If the clerk is a candidate at an election being canvassed, the clerk may perform his or her duties on the board of canvassers only if the clerk does not have an opponent whose name appears on the ballot, or in the case of a recount, if the office the clerk is seeking is not a subject of the recount. If the clerk is a candidate at the election being canvassed and has an opponent whose name appears on the ballot or if the office the clerk is seeking is a subject of a recount, the mayor, president or board chairperson of the municipality shall designate another qualified elector of the municipality to serve in lieu of the elector for that election.

7.53(2)(a)4. 4. If any other member of the board of canvassers is a candidate at the election being canvassed, the clerk shall appoint another qualified elector of the municipality to temporarily fill the vacancy.

7.53(2)(c) (c) In cities of more than 500,000 population, the board of election commissioners shall act as the board of canvassers.

7.53(2)(cm) (cm) If one or more temporary vacancies on the municipal board of canvassers reduces the number of members to less than 3, the municipal clerk shall appoint a member to fill each vacancy, except in cities of more than 500,000 population. In cities of more than 500,000 population, the executive director of the board of election commissioners shall serve as a member of the board of canvassers to fill a temporary vacancy on that board.

7.53(2)(d) (d) In municipalities with one polling place, the canvass shall be conducted under sub. (1) publicly on election night. In other municipalities, the municipal board of canvassers shall publicly canvass the returns of every election. The canvass shall begin no earlier than the time that the municipal board of canvassers receives the returns from all polling places in the municipality on election night and no later than 9 a.m. on the Monday after the election. After any canvass of the absentee ballots is completed under s. 7.52, the board of canvassers shall reconcile the poll list of the electors who vote by absentee ballot with the corresponding poll list of the electors who vote in person to ensure that no elector is allowed to cast more than one ballot. If an elector who votes in person has submitted an absentee ballot, the absentee ballot is void. At the spring election, the board of canvassers shall publicly declare the results on or before the 3rd Tuesday in April. The board of canvassers shall prepare a statement showing the results of each election for any municipal office and each municipal referendum. After each primary for municipal offices, the board of canvassers shall prepare a statement certifying the names of those persons who have won nomination to office. After each other election for a municipal office and each municipal referendum, the board of canvassers shall prepare a determination showing the names of the persons who are elected to each municipal office and the results of each municipal referendum. The board of canvassers shall file each statement and determination in the office of the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners.

7.53(2m) (2m) Board of absentee ballot canvassers.

7.53(2m)(a) (a) If a municipality elects to count absentee ballots in the manner provided for in s. 7.52, the municipality shall establish a board of absentee ballot canvassers as provided in par. (b).

7.53(2m)(b) (b) Except as provided in par. (c), the municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers shall be composed of the municipal clerk, or a qualified elector of the municipality designated by the clerk, and 2 other qualified electors of the municipality appointed by the clerk. The members of the board of absentee ballot canvassers shall serve for 2-year terms commencing on January 1 of each even-numbered year, except that any member who is appointed to fill a permanent vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term of the original appointee. If the municipal clerk’s office is vacant or if the clerk and the clerk’s designee cannot perform his or her duties, the mayor, president, or board chairperson of the municipality shall designate another qualified elector of the municipality to serve in lieu of the clerk for that election. If the clerk is a candidate at an election being canvassed, the clerk or the clerk’s designee may perform the clerk’s duties on the board of absentee ballot canvassers only if the clerk does not have an opponent whose name appears on the ballot. If the clerk is a candidate at the election being canvassed by the board of absentee ballot canvassers and has an opponent whose name appears on the ballot, the mayor, president, or board chairperson of the municipality shall designate another qualified elector of the municipality to serve in lieu of the clerk and his or her designee for that election. If any other member of the board of absentee ballot canvassers is a candidate at the election being canvassed, the clerk shall appoint another qualified elector of the municipality to temporarily fill the vacancy.

7.53(2m)(c) (c) Nothing in this subsection precludes a municipal clerk from appointing individuals to the board of absentee ballot canvassers who are simultaneously serving on any other board of canvassers.

7.53(3) (3) School district elections.

7.53(3)(a) (a) In a common, union high or unified school district, the school district clerk shall appoint 2 qualified electors of the school district prior to the date of the election being canvassed who shall, with the school district clerk, constitute the school district board of canvassers. If the school district clerk is a candidate at the election being canvassed, the other 2 members of the board of canvassers shall designate a 3rd member to serve in lieu of the clerk for that election. The school district clerk shall appoint a member to fill any other temporary vacancy on the board of canvassers. The canvass shall begin no later than 9 a.m. on the Tuesday after the election, and shall continue, without adjournment, until completed. The board of canvassers may return defective returns to the municipal board of canvassers in the manner provided in s. 7.60 (3). If the board of canvassers meets before 4 p.m. on the Monday after the election and thereafter receives amended statements, tally sheets, and lists from a municipal clerk for provisional ballots that are eligible to be counted under s. 6.97 (4), the board of canvassers shall reconvene no later than 9 a.m. on the Tuesday after the election and shall adjust the returns accordingly. No later than 4 p.m. on the Tuesday after the election, the board of canvassers shall complete the canvass and shall prepare a written statement showing the numbers of votes cast for each person for each office and for and against each question and shall prepare a determination showing the names of the persons who are elected to the school board and the results of any school district referendum. Following each primary election, the board of canvassers shall prepare a statement certifying the names of the persons who have won nomination to the school board. Each statement and determination shall be attested by each of the canvassers. The board of canvassers shall file each statement and determination in the school district office. The school district clerk shall certify nominations after each primary and issue certificates of election to persons who are elected to the school board after each election in the manner provided in sub. (4).

7.53(3)(b) (b) In a 1st class city school district, the municipal board of canvassers or election commissioners shall determine the results of school district elections and referenda and shall file a written statement and determination of the results for each election and referendum in the office of the city clerk or board of election commissioners. The board of election commissioners or city clerk shall certify nominations after each primary and issue certificates of election to persons who are elected to the board of school directors after each election in the manner provided in sub. (4).

7.53(4) (4) Certificate of election. As soon as the deadline for filing a petition for a recount has passed, the municipal clerk shall issue promptly a certificate of election to each person elected to any municipal office, except that the municipal clerk need not wait until expiration of the time allowed to file a petition for a recount if there is no aggrieved party, as defined in s. 9.01 (1) (a) 5. When a valid petition for a recount is filed, the municipal clerk shall not issue the certificate of election for the office in question until the recount has been completed and the time allowed for filing an appeal has passed, or if appealed until the appeal is decided.

7.53(5) (5) Live broadcasts. If a municipality or county or the commission broadcasts canvassing proceedings live in any election, including by live stream on the Internet, the municipality, county, or commission shall record the broadcast. The municipal clerk, county clerk, or commission shall retain the recording for the period specified in s. 7.23 (1) (f), unless, in good faith, the municipal clerk, county clerk, or commission is unable to retain the recording because the recording is maintained on an Internet video streaming service that goes out of business or is otherwise removed from the Internet, if the service has been in operation for at least 10 years and has at least 1,000,000 account holders at the time the municipal clerk, county clerk, or commission posts the recording to the service.

7.53 History History: 1971 c. 304 s. 29 (2); 1977 c. 290, 427, 447; 1979 c. 260; 1981 c. 314; 1983 a. 183, 484; 1985 a. 225; 1985 a. 304 ss. 93, 155; 1987 a. 391; 1989 a. 192; 1995 a. 16 s. 2; 1999 a. 182; 2005 a. 451; 2007 a. 96; 2011 a. 115; 2015 a. 37, 229, 261; 2019 a. 182; 2023 a. 53.

7.53 Annotation The canvassing activities conducted at the municipal level pursuant to this section and by school district canvassing boards constitute meetings of governmental bodies and are subject to the requirements of the open meetings law. OAG 5-14.

7.53 Annotation While canvassing boards must provide the public a reasonable opportunity to meaningfully observe their meetings, they may impose reasonable limits on public access to the extent necessary to protect the effective and orderly conduct of the canvass. The same principles of reasonableness govern the public’s opportunity to inspect election documents and materials at canvassing board meetings. OAG 5-14.

7.54 7.54 Contested elections. In all contested election cases, the contesting parties have the right to have the ballots opened and to have all errors of the inspectors, either in counting or refusing to count any ballot, corrected by the board of canvassers or court deciding the contest. The ballots and related materials may be opened only in open session of the board of canvassers or in open court and in the presence of the official having custody of them.

7.54 History History: 1983 a. 484.

7.54 Annotation This section does not apply when an appeal of the result of a recount by the board of canvassers under s. 9.01 is before an appellate court. Sewell v. Racine Unified School District Board of Canvassers, 2022 WI 18, 401 Wis. 2d 58, 972 N.W.2d 155, 20-1271.

7.60 7.60 County canvass.

7.60(1) (1) Keep office open. On election night the county clerk shall keep the clerk’s office open to receive reports from the ward inspectors and shall post all returns. On election night the clerk shall post all returns, by ward or reporting unit, on an Internet site maintained by the county no later than 2 hours after receiving the returns.

7.60(2) (2) County board of canvassers. The county clerk and 2 qualified electors of the county appointed by the clerk constitute the county board of canvassers. The members of the board of canvassers shall serve for 2-year terms commencing on January 1 of each even-numbered year, except that any member who is appointed to fill a permanent vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term of the original appointee. One member of the board of canvassers shall belong to a political party other than the clerk’s. The county clerk shall designate a deputy clerk who shall perform the clerk’s duties as a member of the board of canvassers in the event that the county clerk’s office is vacant, or the clerk cannot perform his or her duties. If the county clerk and designated deputy clerk are both unable to perform their duties, the county executive or, if there is no county executive, the chairperson of the county board of supervisors shall designate another qualified elector of the county to perform the clerk’s duties. If a member other than the clerk cannot perform his or her duties, the clerk shall appoint another member to serve. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no person may serve on the county board of canvassers if the person is a candidate for an office to be canvassed by that board. If the clerk is a candidate at an election being canvassed, the clerk may perform his or her duties on the board only if the clerk has no opponent whose name appears on the ballot, or, in the case of a recount, if the office the clerk is seeking is not a subject of the recount. If lists of candidates for the county board of canvassers are submitted to the county clerk by political party county committees, the lists shall consist of at least 3 names and the clerk shall choose the board members from the lists. Where there is a county board of election commissioners, it shall serve as the board of canvassers. If the county board of election commissioners serves as the board of canvassers, the executive director of the county board of election commissioners shall serve as a member of the board of canvassers to fill a temporary vacancy on that board.

7.60(3) (3) Canvassing. Not later than 9 a.m. on the Tuesday after each election the county board of canvassers shall open and publicly examine the returns. If returns have not been received from any election district or ward in the county, they shall dispatch a messenger and the person having them shall deliver the returns to the messenger. If, on examination, any of the returns received are so informal or defective that the board cannot intelligently canvass them, they shall dispatch a messenger to deliver the returns back to the municipal board of canvassers with written specifications of the informalities or defects and command them to immediately complete the returns or remedy the defects in the manner required and deliver them to the messenger. Every messenger shall safely keep all returns, show them to no one but the municipal clerk and board of canvassers and deliver them to the county clerk with all possible dispatch. To acquire the necessary full returns and remedy any informalities or defects the county board of canvassers may adjourn not longer than one day at a time nor more than 2 days in all.

7.60(4) (4) Statements and determinations.

7.60(4)(a) (a) The board of canvassers shall make separate duplicate statements showing the numbers of votes cast for the offices of president and vice president; state officials; U.S. senators and representatives in congress; state legislators; justice; court of appeals judge; circuit judges; district attorneys; and metropolitan sewerage commissioners, if the commissioners are elected under s. 200.09 (11) (am). If a municipal judge elected under s. 755.01 (4) serves a municipality that is located partially within the county and candidates for that judgeship file nomination papers in another county, the board of canvassers shall prepare a duplicate statement showing the numbers of votes cast for that judgeship in that county for transmittal to the other county. For partisan candidates, the statements shall include the political party or principle designation, if any, next to the name of each candidate. The board of canvassers shall also prepare a statement showing the results of any county, technical college district, or statewide referendum. Each statement shall state the total number of votes cast in the county for each office; the names of all persons for whom the votes were cast, as returned; the number of votes cast for each person; and the number of votes cast for and against any question submitted at a referendum. The board of canvassers shall use one copy of each duplicate statement to report to the elections commission, technical college district board, or board of canvassers of any other county and shall file the other statement in the office of the county clerk or board of election commissioners.

7.60(4)(b) (b) The board of canvassers shall then prepare a written determination, in duplicate where necessary, giving the names of the persons elected to any county office and to any municipal judgeship if the judge is elected under s. 755.01 (4) and candidates for that judgeship file nomination papers in that county. The board of canvassers shall likewise prepare a written determination showing the results of any county referendum. Following any primary election, the board of canvassers shall prepare a statement certifying the names of all persons who have won nomination to any county office or any municipal judgeship, if the judge is elected under s. 755.01 (4) and candidates for that judgeship file nomination papers in that county. The board of canvassers shall file all statements and determinations in the office of the county clerk or board of election commissioners.

7.60(4)(c) (c) In preparing the statements and determinations, the board of canvassers shall carefully review the tally sheets and inspectors’ statement. The board of canvassers may omit the names of individuals whose names do not appear on the ballot and who receive a comparatively small number of votes. The board of canvassers shall designate votes received by such individuals as scattering votes. The board of canvassers shall append to each statement and determination a tabulation of the votes cast at each election district, ward or combination of wards authorized under s. 5.15 (6) (b) in the county for each office and each individual, whether the votes are canvassed or not, as well as the total canvassed votes cast for each individual and each office, except where scattering votes are designated. If any votes are rejected, the board of canvassers shall specify the reasons therefor.

7.60(4)(d) (d) Each statement and determination issued under pars. (a) and (b) shall be certified as correct and attested to by each canvasser’s signature.

7.60(5) (5) Reporting.

7.60(5)(a) (a) Immediately following the canvass, the county clerk shall deliver or transmit to the elections commission a certified copy of each statement of the county board of canvassers for president and vice president, state officials, senators and representatives in congress, state legislators, justice, court of appeals judge, circuit judge, district attorney, and metropolitan sewerage commissioners, if the commissioners are elected under s. 200.09 (11) (am). The statement shall record the returns for each office or referendum by ward, unless combined returns are authorized under s. 5.15 (6) (b) in which case the statement shall record the returns for each group of combined wards. Following primaries the county clerk shall enclose on forms prescribed by the elections commission the names, party or principle designation, if any, and number of votes received by each candidate recorded in the same manner. The county clerk shall deliver or transmit the certified statement to the elections commission no later than 9 days after each primary except the partisan primary, no later than 10 days after the partisan primary and any other election except the general election, and no later than 14 days after the general election. The board of canvassers shall deliver or transmit a certified copy of each statement for any technical college district referendum to the secretary of the technical college district board.

7.60(5)(b) (b) If the board of canvassers becomes aware of a material mistake in the canvass of an election for state or national office or a statewide or technical college district referendum prior to the close of business on the day the elections commission receives returns from the last county board of canvassers with respect to that canvass, the board of canvassers may petition the elections commission to reopen and correct the canvass. The elections commission shall direct the canvass to be reopened and corrected if it determines that the public interest so requires. If the elections commission directs the canvass to be reopened, the board of canvassers shall reconvene and transmit a certified corrected copy of the canvass statement to the elections commission or secretary of the technical college district board.

7.60(6) (6) Certificate of election. Immediately after expiration of the time allowed to file a petition for a recount the county clerk shall issue a certificate of election to each person who is elected to any county office, except that the county clerk need not wait until expiration of the time allowed to file a petition for a recount if there is no aggrieved party, as defined in s. 9.01 (1) (a) 5. The certificate notice shall state the amount of the required official bond, if any. When a petition for a recount is filed, the county clerk shall not issue the certificate of election for the office in question until the recount has been completed and the time allowed for filing an appeal has passed, or if appealed until the appeal is decided.

7.60(7) (7) Official canvass record. After the certificates of election have been prepared under sub. (6), the county clerk shall retain one copy of the official canvass for county offices and referenda in his or her office for public inspection.

7.60 History History: 1971 c. 304 s. 29 (2); 1973 c. 334 ss. 14, 57; 1975 c. 93, 199; 1977 c. 187, 427, 449; 1979 c. 221, 260, 355; 1981 c. 4; 1983 a. 442, 484, 538; 1985 a. 89, 304, 332; 1987 a. 391; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 316; 1993 a. 399; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 1999 a. 182; 2001 a. 107, 109; 2005 a. 451; 2007 a. 1; 2011 a. 75, 115; 2015 a. 118, 229, 261; 2019 a. 182.

7.60 Annotation The canvassing activities conducted by county canvassing boards are meetings of governmental bodies subject to the requirements of the open meetings law. While canvassing boards must provide the public a reasonable opportunity to meaningfully observe their meetings, they may impose reasonable limits on public access to the extent necessary to protect the effective and orderly conduct of the canvass. The same principles of reasonableness govern the public’s opportunity to inspect election documents and materials at canvassing board meetings. OAG 5-14.

7.70 7.70 State canvass.

7.70(1) (1) Recording and preserving returns.

7.70(1)(a) (a) Upon receipt of the certified statements from the county clerks, the commission shall record the election results by counties and file and carefully preserve the statements.

7.70(1)(b) (b) If any county clerk fails or neglects to forward any statements, the commission may require the clerk to do so immediately and if not received by the 8th day after a primary, or by the 11th day after any other election, the commission may dispatch a special messenger to obtain them. Whenever it appears upon the face of any statement that an error has been made in reporting or computing, the commission may return it to the county clerk for correction.

7.70(3) (3) Canvassing.

7.70(3)(a) (a) The chairperson of the commission or a designee of the chairperson appointed by the chairperson to canvass a specific election shall publicly canvass the returns and make his or her certifications and determinations on or before the 2nd Tuesday following a spring primary, the 15th day of May following a spring election, the 3rd Wednesday following a partisan primary, the first day of December following a general election, the 2nd Thursday following a special primary, or within 18 days after any special election.

7.70(3)(b) (b) The commission chairperson or the chairperson’s designee shall examine the certified statements of the county boards of canvassers. If it appears that any material mistake has been made in the computation of votes, or any county board of canvassers failed to canvass the votes or omitted votes from any ward or election district in the county, the commission chairperson or the chairperson’s designee may dispatch a messenger to the county clerk with written instructions to certify the facts concerning the mistake or the reason why the votes were not canvassed. A clerk to whom such instructions are delivered shall immediately make a true and full answer, sign it, affix the county seal and deliver it to the messenger. The messenger shall deliver it with all possible dispatch to the commission.

7.70(3)(c) (c) The chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall conclude the state canvass within 10 days after its commencement.

7.70(3)(d) (d) When the certified statements and returns are received, the chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall proceed to examine and make a statement of the total number of votes cast at any election for the offices involved in the election for president and vice president; a statement for each of the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, if a primary, and a joint statement for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, if a general election; a statement for each of the offices of secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and state superintendent; for U.S. senator; representative in congress for each congressional district; the state legislature; justice; court of appeals judge; circuit judge; district attorney; metropolitan sewerage commission, if the commissioners are elected under s. 200.09 (11) (am); and for any referenda questions submitted by the legislature.

7.70(3)(e) (e) The chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall make a special statement to the commission as soon as possible after the canvass of the general election certifying the name of each political party which receives at least one percent of the vote cast in such election for any statewide office.

7.70(3)(f) (f) The statements shall show the persons’ names receiving votes, and any referenda questions; the whole number of votes given to each; and an individual listing by the districts or counties in which they were given. The names of persons not regularly nominated who received only a comparatively small number of votes may be omitted and their votes designated as scattering votes.

7.70(3)(g) (g) Following each primary election, the chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall prepare a statement certifying the results of the primary, which shall indicate the names of the persons who have won nomination to any state or national office. Following each other election, the chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall prepare a statement certifying the results of the election and shall attach to the statement a certificate of determination which shall indicate the names of persons who have been elected to any state or national office. The chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall likewise prepare a statement and certificate for any statewide referendum. The chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee shall deliver each statement and determination to the commission.

7.70(3)(h) (h) Whenever a referendum question submitted to a vote of the people is approved, the commission shall record it and the secretary of state shall have the record bound in the volume containing the original enrolled laws passed at the next succeeding session of the legislature and have the record published with the laws thereof. Whenever a constitutional amendment or other statewide validating or ratifying referendum question which is approved by the people does not expressly state the date of effectiveness, it shall become effective at the time the chairperson of the commission or the chairperson’s designee certifies that the amendment or referendum question is approved.

7.70(3)(i) (i) The commission chairperson or the chairperson’s designee shall canvass only regular returns made by the county board of canvassers and shall not count or canvass any additional or supplemental returns or statements made by the county board or any other board or person. The commission chairperson or the chairperson’s designee shall not count or canvass any statement or return which has been made by the county board of canvassers at any other time than that provided in s. 7.60. This provision does not apply to any return made subsequent to a recount under s. 9.01, when the return is accepted in lieu of any prior return from the same county for the same office; or to a statement given to the commission chairperson or chairperson’s designee or a messenger sent by the chairperson or designee to obtain a correction.

7.70(5) (5) Certificates of election.

7.70(5)(a) (a) The commission shall record in its office each certified statement and determination made by the commission chairperson or the chairperson’s designee. Immediately after the expiration of the time allowed to file a petition for recount, the commission shall make and transmit to each person declared elected a certificate of election under the seal of the commission, except that the commission need not wait until expiration of the time allowed to file a petition for recount if there is no aggrieved party, as defined in s. 9.01 (1) (a) 5. It shall also prepare similar certificates, attested by the commission administrator, addressed to the U.S. house of representatives, stating the names of those persons elected as representatives to the congress from this state. In the case of U.S. senators, the commission shall prepare a certificate of election for the governor’s signature, and the governor shall sign and affix the great seal of the state and transmit the certificate to the president of the U.S. senate. The certificate shall be countersigned by the secretary of state. If a person elected was elected to fill a vacancy, the certificate shall so indicate. When a valid petition for recount is filed, the commission chairperson or the chairperson’s designee may not certify a nomination, and the governor or commission may not issue a certificate of election until the recount has been completed and the time allowed for filing an appeal has passed, or if appealed until the appeal is decided.

7.70(5)(b) (b) For presidential electors, the commission shall prepare a certificate showing the determination of the results of the canvass and the names of the persons elected, and the governor shall sign, affix the great seal of the state, and transmit the certificate by registered mail to the U.S. administrator of general services. The governor shall also prepare 6 duplicate originals of such certificate and deliver them to one of the presidential electors on or before the first Monday after the 2nd Wednesday in December.

7.70 History History: 1971 c. 304 s. 29 (2); 1973 c. 334 ss. 15, 57; 1975 c. 93, 199; 1977 c. 107, 187, 427, 449; 1979 c. 221, 260, 328; 1983 a. 484; 1985 a. 89, 304; 1987 a. 391; 1989 a. 31, 192; 1995 a. 16 s. 2; 1997 a. 27; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 1999 a. 182; 2005 a. 451; 2007 a. 1; 2011 a. 32, 75; 2015 a. 118 ss. 93 to 95, 266 (10); 2019 a. 182.

7.70 Annotation Unless a constitutional amendment provides otherwise, it takes effect upon the certification of a statewide canvass of the votes as provided in sub. (3) (h). The legislature has the authority under article XII, section 1, of the Wisconsin Constitution to adopt reasonable election laws to provide that state constitutional amendments are effective after canvass and certification. State v. Gonzales, 2002 WI 59, 253 Wis. 2d 134, 645 N.W.2d 264, 01-0224.