Current law prohibits election officials from committing certain kinds of
election fraud, including permitting a person to register to vote or vote when the
election official knows the person is not qualified to do so. The bill provides further
that no election official may do any of the following:

1. Intentionally assist or cause the casting or counting of a vote or the receipt
of a registration that the election official knows is invalid.

2. Intentionally assist or cause a vote or registration to be rejected when the
election official knows the vote or registration is valid.

3. Intentionally fail to promptly report election fraud committed by another
election official.

Under the bill, election officials violating the prohibitions described above are
subject to a Class I felony.

Under current law, absentee ballot envelopes include a printed certificate that
must be completed, signed by the voter and a qualified witness, and returned to the
municipal clerk with the completed ballot so that it is delivered to the polling place
no later than 8 p.m. on election day. By completing and signing the certificate, the
voter certifies that he or she is entitled to vote in the election and that the voter
completed his or her absentee ballot in the presence of the witness. The witness
certificate includes the witness's printed name and address in addition to his or her
signature. If a municipal clerk receives an absentee ballot with an improperly
completed certificate or with no certificate, the clerk may, but is not required to,
return the ballot to the voter whenever time permits so that the voter may correct
the defect. If a certificate is missing the address of the witness, the ballot may not
be counted.

Under the bill, if a municipal clerk receives an absentee ballot with an
improperly completed certificate or with no certificate, in addition to being
authorized to return the ballot to the elector, the clerk is required to post a
notification of the defect on the voter's voter information page on the Internet site
that is used by voters for original registration, currently titled MyVote Wisconsin.
Additionally, under the bill, the clerk may attempt to notify the voter of the defect
by other means.

Additionally, under the bill, an absentee ballot with no certificate or with a
certificate that does not include all of the following may not be counted:

1. The voter 's printed first name.

2. The voter's printed last name.

3. The voter's house or apartment number.

4. The voter's street name.

5. The voter's municipality.

6. The voter's signature.

7. The witness's printed first name.

8. The witness's printed last name.

9. The witness's house or apartment number.

10. The witness's street name.

11. The witness's municipality.

12. The witness's signature.

Finally, the bill prohibits any person other than the voter, or the witness with
respect to the witness certificate, from correcting a defect in the voter's absentee
ballot certificate. Whoever violates that prohibition is subject to fine not to exceed
$500 or imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, or both.

The bill prohibits the appointment of any poll worker who is an employee of any
of the following:

1. A candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, political action
committee, independent expenditure committee, political party, recall committee, or
referendum committee, as those terms are defined by law.