Archived Clerk Communications

At the March 11, 2019 meeting of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, staff was directed to contact municipalities who use a central count location to process absentee ballots concerning compliance with several statutory requirements. The Commission also directed staff to contact counties that...

Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 6.78, polling hours are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, there are possible situations that could require a municipality to seek an extension of the time set for polling places to be open. For example, an emergency situation, inclement weather or flooding that obstructs traffic or access to the polling place, or a power outage could cause a polling place to close for a period of time.

DATE: July 23, 2018 TO: Wisconsin County Clerks Milwaukee County Election Commission Wisconsin Municipal Clerks City of Milwaukee Election Commission All WisVote Users FROM: Meagan Wolfe Interim Administrator

Wis. Stat. §6.47 provides that certain individuals may apply to the municipal clerk to register to vote as a Confidential Voter. Currently, a prospective confidential voter must submit one of the four documents listed in Wis. Stat. §6.47(2) as verification of their eligibility for confidential voter status:

Commission staff has received calls from county and municipal clerks inquiring about whether a candidate who has properly filed nomination papers and qualified for the ballot can withdraw their nomination papers to remove their name from the ballot. The statutory language which addresses this question is clear, and states that “[a]ny person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination. The name of that person shall appear upon the ballot except in the case of death of the person.” Wis. Stat.

Summary

Disclaimer: The Voter Photo ID Law is in effect as of April 2015. Historical information in this clerk communication may not be current. Voter Photo ID Guidance 2014-5 In our communication of October 10, 2014 regarding the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, we indicated that the G.A.B. would provide a template letter to inform voters that they are not required to provide a photo ID. Attached is a letter that may be used for this purpose. Please send this text to the following categories of voters: