SB834,,4654657.315 (3) The commission secretary of state may produce and periodically reissue as necessary a video program for the purpose of training election officials, including special voting deputies and election registration officials. The commission secretary shall make any such program available for viewing electronically through an Internet-based system.
SB834,212466Section 212. 7.38 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4674677.38 (5) In the event of failure to file the name of a current state chairperson, as required under s. 8.17 (12), the commission secretary of state may not recognize the state committee for the purpose of filling vacancies under sub. (1).
SB834,213468Section 213. 7.41 (5) of the statutes is repealed.
SB834,214469Section 214. 7.52 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4704707.52 (1) (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 secretary of state in writing of the proposed enactment and shall consult with the elections commission secretary 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.
SB834,215471Section 215. 7.60 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4724727.60 (4) (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 secretary of state, 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.
SB834,216473Section 216. 7.60 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4744747.60 (5) Reporting. (a) Immediately following the canvass, the county clerk shall deliver or transmit to the elections commission secretary of state 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 secretary of state 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 secretary of state 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.
SB834,,475475(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 secretary of state receives returns from the last county board of canvassers with respect to that canvass, the board of canvassers may petition the elections commission secretary of state to reopen and correct the canvass. The elections commission secretary of state shall direct the canvass to be reopened and corrected if it the secretary determines that the public interest so requires. If the elections commission secretary of state 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 secretary of state or secretary of the technical college district board.
SB834,217476Section 217. 7.70 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4774777.70 (1) Recording and preserving returns. (a) Upon receipt of the certified statements from the county clerks, the commission secretary of state shall record the election results by counties and file and carefully preserve the statements.
SB834,,478478(b) If any county clerk fails or neglects to forward any statements, the commission secretary of state 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 secretary of state 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 secretary of state may return it to the county clerk for correction.
SB834,218479Section 218. 7.70 (3) (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g), (h) and (i) of the statutes are amended to read:
SB834,,4804807.70 (3) (a) The chairperson of the commission secretary of state or a designee of the chairperson secretary of state appointed by the chairperson secretary 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.
SB834,,481481(b) The commission chairperson secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 secretary of state.
SB834,,482482(c) The chairperson of the commission secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’s designee shall conclude the state canvass within 10 days after its commencement.
SB834,,483483(d) When the certified statements and returns are received, the chairperson of the commission secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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.
SB834,,484484(e) The chairperson of the commission secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 1 percent of the vote cast in such election for any statewide office.
SB834,,485485(g) Following each primary election, the chairperson of the commission secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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.
SB834,,486486(h) Whenever a referendum question submitted to a vote of the people is approved, the commission secretary of state shall record it and the secretary of state legislative reference bureau 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 secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’s designee certifies that the amendment or referendum question is approved.
SB834,,487487(i) The commission chairperson secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’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 secretary of state or chairperson’s the secretary’s designee or a messenger sent by the chairperson secretary or designee to obtain a correction.
SB834,219488Section 219. 7.70 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4894897.70 (5) Certificates of election. (a) The commission secretary of state shall record in its the secretary’s office each certified statement and determination made by the commission chairperson secretary or the chairperson’s secretary’s designee. Immediately after the expiration of the time allowed to file a petition for recount, the commission secretary of state shall make and transmit to each person declared elected a certificate of election under the seal of the commission secretary of state, except that the commission secretary 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 The secretary of state shall also prepare similar certificates, attested by the commission administrator secretary, 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 secretary of state shall prepare and sign 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 secretary of state or the chairperson’s secretary’s designee may not certify a nomination, and the governor or commission secretary of state 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.
SB834,,490490(b) For presidential electors, the commission secretary of state 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.
SB834,220491Section 220. 8.07 of the statutes is amended to read:
SB834,,4924928.07 Validity of nomination papers. The commission secretary of state shall promulgate rules under this chapter for use by election officials in determining the validity of nomination papers and signatures thereon.
SB834,221493Section 221. 8.10 (6) (a) of the statutes is amended to read: