Riley Vetterkind, @email
Monday, June 3, 2024 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for candidates to file nomination papers to get on the ballot for the August 13 Partisan Primary and the November 5 General Election. Because the Commission office was closed on Saturday, June 1, and candidates were therefore not able to file their nomination papers that day, General Election candidates may file their nomination papers on the next business day, which is Monday, June 3. Wis. Stat. § 990.001(4)(c).
There are additionally two special elections with impending filing deadlines. The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers and other ballot access materials for the Congressional District 8 special election is the same as other General Election candidates: 5 p.m. on Monday, June 3, 2024. The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers and other ballot access materials for the Senate District 4 Special Election is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
All the information needed for members of the news media to cover the deadline will be available on the agency’s website.
Processing nomination papers is a significant and time-consuming task that involves nearly every employee at the agency. More than 380 candidates filed papers with our office by Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline. WEC staff have worked diligently to ensure that papers are processed and reviewed in a timely manner.
This advisory contains information about how to find out who is running in state, federal and local elections, where to find the documents, what they mean, and when the ballot will be finalized.
The Necessary Paperwork
To get on the ballot, candidates for state office must file four documents with two different state agencies:
• Campaign finance registration statement (ETHCF-1) with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission
• Declaration of Candidacy form (EL-162) with the Wisconsin Elections Commission
• Nomination Paper for Partisan Office (EL-168) with the Wisconsin Elections Commission
• Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) with the Ethics Commission (due by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6).
For more information about steps candidates must take to get on the ballot, the Elections Commission publishes a checklist for state candidates, which can also be helpful for reporters. The checklist for state candidates is available here: https://elections.wi.gov/candidates/state-candidates
Select the “Partisan” tab, then select the “Required Documents for Statewide Constitutional and Legislative Offices” tab, then select “ELIS-9 Ballot Access Checklist-Legislative for 2024 (Rev. 2023-08).pdf”
The checklist for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives candidates is available here: https://elections.wi.gov/candidates/federal-candidates
Select “Required Documents for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives,” then select “ELIS-14 Ballot Access Checklist-Federal Candidates for 2024 (Rev. 2023-08).pdf”
Who Filed?
To find out who has filed paperwork to get on the ballot for the fall election, visit the WEC’s “Wisconsin Elections” page: https://elections.wi.gov/elections
There are several attachments available underneath “See Who Has Filed Fall 2024 Candidacy Paperwork/Non-Candidacy Notification.” Of interest will be “Candidates Tracking By Office as of 6_X_2024.pdf” (this will continue to be updated) and “Notification of Noncandidacy List as of 5_24_2024.pdf”. Also posted on this webpage is the Supplemental Nomination Papers tracker.
The most helpful document for most journalists will be the “Candidates Tracking By Office,” which also has the date and time it was updated in its title. The document is arranged in several columns: the candidate’s name and address, party, date the campaign registration statement was filed, date the declaration of candidacy was filed, date the statement of economic interests was filed, date the nomination papers were filed, number of valid signatures recommended for approval, and the pending, unofficial result of staff review.
To get his or her name on this list of candidates, a state candidate must have filed an ETHCF-1 Campaign Finance Registration Statement with the Ethics Commission, which can be viewed at http://cfis.wi.gov by clicking on “View Registrants” and searching for the candidate by name, committee ID or office. Not everyone who files an ETHCF-1 follows through with filing nomination papers to get on the ballot.
If there is a date in a column on the candidate tracker, it means the candidate filed that paperwork (Declaration of Candidacy, SEI, Nomination Papers) on that date. If there is no date, that paperwork had not yet been filed as of the time that version of the candidate tracker was created.
The column “valid signatures” has the number of valid signatures recommended after the Elections Commission staff review. If a candidate has filed petitions and the number is a zero, it means staff is still reviewing the petitions. If the “Ballot Status” column says Pending, staff is still reviewing the petitions or is waiting for other paperwork such as the SEI. If it says Approved, staff is recommending approval to the Elections Commission, which will make a final decision at its meeting on June 10 (More about that meeting below.)
The WEC plans to update the candidate tracker periodically throughout the week. Updated reports that the WEC posts after June 3 are unlikely to have changes to any of the fields except for the following:
• Accounting for deadline extensions for candidate contests where the incumbent failed to file a notification of noncandidacy and did not file ballot access materials
• Accounting for statements of economic interests filed after June 3
Note: Decisions on ballot status are not official until the six WEC members meet on June 10th to vote to approve or deny candidates.
Federal Candidates
Candidates for U.S. Senate and Representative in Congress have different filing requirements. Federal candidates must register their campaigns with the Federal Elections Commission (www.fec.gov), not the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. That is why some well-known candidates may not appear on the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s list until very late in the process. Some federal candidates do not file a Declaration of Candidacy form with the Elections Commission until they submit their nomination papers several days before the filing deadline. Federal candidates are also not required to file a Wisconsin Statement of Economic Interests form. Federal candidates do, however, file nomination papers with the WEC.
Local Candidates
Candidates for county races such as sheriff, clerk of circuit court and coroner file paperwork with the county clerk or the Milwaukee County Election Commission. You can find a directory of county clerks here: http://elections.wi.gov/clerks/directory
How Many Signatures?
Candidates for statewide offices including U.S. Senator must file at least 2,000 valid signatures. Candidates for Representative in Congress must file at least 1,000 signatures. The minimum for State Senate is 400 and for State Assembly is 200.
Deadlines
• The deadline for filings is 5 p.m. on Monday, June 3.
• Paperwork required to be filed by the June 3 deadline are the Campaign Registration Statement, Declaration of Candidacy, and Nomination Paper for Partisan Office. This paperwork must be filed in person – faxes and emails are not acceptable.
• The Statements of Economic Interests must be filed by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6. The SEI may be filed electronically with the Ethics Commission.
After the 5 p.m. Monday deadline, Elections Commission staff will be working hard to review nomination papers and periodically update the reports on the website.
If an incumbent officeholder does not file nomination papers and a declaration of candidacy form by the filing deadline, and also did not file a notification of noncandidacy form by May 24, 2024, the filing deadline for all other candidates for that office is extended by 72 hours.
Access to Candidates’ Paperwork
• Members of the public and the media may request a copy of candidates’ nomination papers for free by making a request at the WEC’s Badger Voters website: https://badgervoters.wi.gov/ On the home page, select “Get Started.” Then, select “Nomination Data” and choose the candidate’s name from the drop-down menu.
• Copies of the ETHCF-1 (campaign finance registration statement) are available on the Ethics Commission’s Campaign Finance Information System website at http://cfis.wi.gov.
• Candidates’ Statements of Economic Interests are only available by filling out a request form on the Ethics Commission’s SEI website: https://sei.wi.gov.
Candidate Certification and Challenges
The Elections Commission’s staff reviews all the nomination papers and makes an initial determination of whether the petition is sufficient – meaning it contains enough valid signatures and meets other requirements.
Any member of the public may challenge the sufficiency of a candidate’s nomination papers by filing a verified complaint with the Elections Commission by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6. Candidates whose nomination papers are challenged may file responses within three days of the filing of the challenge. For more information about the challenge process, here is a link to the WEC’s administrative rule on challenges: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/el/2.
Staff will review any challenges, responses, and rebuttals and will make recommendations to the Commission for its meeting on June 10. At that meeting, the Commission will certify the list of candidates for the August 13 Partisan Primary.
Copies of any challenges will be posted on the agency website page for the June 10 Commission meeting: https://elections.wi.gov/event/ballot-access-meeting-6102024
When they become available, staff reports and recommendations on challenges will be posted online. Because of the tight timeline to evaluate submissions and prepare reports, staff recommendations regarding challenges will likely not be available until the Commission meeting.
The Commission’s June 10 meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Zoom. A candidate who disagrees with the Commission’s decision can appeal to circuit court for relief.
Candidate Contact Information
The Candidates Tracking By Office document contains only the candidate’s name and street address. More detailed contact information, including telephone numbers and email addresses for the candidate and campaign committee, is contained in the ETHCF-1 Campaign Finance Registration Statement, which is available at http://cfis.wi.gov. Click on “View Registrants” on the left-hand navigation menu and search for the candidate by name, committee ID or office.