Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

SB631,,4 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB631,1 Section 1. 6.87 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB631,,6 6.87 (2) (intro.) Except as authorized under sub. (3) (d), the municipal clerk shall place the ballot in an unsealed envelope furnished by the clerk. The envelope shall have the name, official title and post-office address of the clerk upon its face. The other side of the envelope shall have a printed certificate which shall include a space for the municipal clerk or deputy clerk to enter his or her initials indicating that if the absentee elector voted in person under s. 6.86 (1) (ar), the elector presented proof of identification to the clerk and the clerk verified the proof presented. The certificate shall also include a space for the municipal clerk or deputy clerk to enter his or her initials indicating that the elector is exempt from providing proof of identification because the individual is a military elector or an overseas elector who does not qualify as a resident of this state under s. 6.10 or is exempted from providing proof of identification under sub. (4) (b) 2. or 3. The certificate shall include a distinct field for each item required to be entered under sub. (6d) and shall be in substantially the following form:

SB631,2 Section 2. 6.87 (6d) of the statutes is renumbered 6.87 (6d) (intro.) and amended to read:

SB631,,8 6.87 (6d) (intro.) If a certificate is missing the address of a witness, the ballot An absentee ballot with no certificate or with a certificate that does not include all of the following may not be counted.:

SB631,3 Section 3. 6.87 (6d) (a) to (L) of the statutes are created to read:

SB631,,10 6.87 (6d) (a) The elector’s printed first name.

SB631,,11 (b) The elector’s printed last name.

SB631,,12 (c) The elector’s house or apartment number.

SB631,,13 (d) The elector’s street name.

SB631,,14 (e) The elector’s municipality.

SB631,,15 (f) The elector’s signature.

SB631,,16 (g) The witness’s printed first name.

SB631,,17 (h) The witness’s printed last name.

SB631,,18 (i) The witness’s house or apartment number.

SB631,,19 (j) The witness’s street name.

SB631,,20 (k) The witness’s municipality.

SB631,,21 (L) The witness’s signature.

SB631,4 Section 4. 6.87 (9) of the statutes is renumbered 6.87 (9) (a) and amended to read:

SB631,,23 6.87 (9) (a) If a municipal clerk receives an absentee ballot with an improperly completed certificate or with no certificate, the clerk may return the ballot to the elector, inside the sealed envelope when an envelope is received, together with a new envelope if necessary, whenever time permits the elector to correct the defect and return the ballot within the period authorized under sub. (6), and the clerk shall post a notification of the defect on the elector’s voter information page on the website that is used by electors for original registration under s. 6.30 (5). The clerk may also attempt to notify the elector of the defect by other means.

SB631,5 Section 5. 6.87 (9) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

SB631,,25 6.87 (9) (b) No person other than the elector, or the witness with respect to the witness certificate, may correct a defect in the elector’s absentee ballot certificate. Whoever violates this paragraph is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, or both.

SB631,6 Section 6. 6.875 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB631,,27 6.875 (4) (a) For the purpose of absentee voting in qualified retirement homes and residential care facilities, the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of each municipality in which one or more qualified retirement homes or residential care facilities are located shall appoint at least 2 special voting deputies for the municipality. Except as provided in par. (am), upon application under s. 6.86 (1), (2), or (2m) by one or more qualified electors who are occupants of a home or facility, the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of the municipality in which the home or facility is located shall dispatch 2 special voting deputies to visit the home or facility for the purpose of supervising absentee voting procedure by occupants of the home or facility. The clerk or board of election commissioners shall maintain a list, available to the public upon request, of each home or facility where special voting deputies are dispatched. The list shall include the date and time the deputies intend to visit each home or facility. The 2 deputies designated to visit each qualified retirement home and residential care facility shall be affiliated with different political parties whenever deputies representing different parties are available. No qualified retirement home or residential care facility may deny entry to a special voting deputy appointed under this paragraph except if the qualified retirement home or residential care facility is closed to the public during a public health emergency and except if the qualified retirement home or residential care facility is closed to the public during an incident of infectious disease, if the administrator of the qualified retirement home or residential care facility has signed a verifiable statement documenting the incident and filed the statement with the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners. During a public health emergency or an incident of infectious disease, if a qualified retirement home or residential care facility is closed to the public, the qualified retirement home or residential care facility shall allow a personal care voting assistant appointed under sub. (8) to supervise the absentee voting procedure used by occupants of the qualified retirement home or residential care facility.

SB631,7 Section 7. 6.875 (4) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 6.875 (4) (b) 1.