Riley Vetterkind, @email
MADISON – The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) is pleased to report that it is on its way toward completing the first major step in the process of approving Fall 2024 candidates for the ballot.
Monday, June 3, at 5 p.m. was the deadline for state candidates to file nomination papers and other ballot access materials with the WEC for the 2024 General Election and Congressional District 8 Special Election. Tuesday, June 4 at 5 p.m. is the deadline to file materials with the WEC for candidates in the Fourth Senate District Special Election. This week’s nomination paper process does not apply to presidential candidates.
As of the Monday’s deadline, 387 state and federal candidates filed paperwork with the agency. That figure is in line with the typical number of candidates who file with the WEC in a General Election cycle.
“Reviewing ballot access materials, including nomination papers, is a critical aspect of the electoral process that WEC Commissioners and staff devote a significant amount of time and resources to,” said WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe. “Staff members have been working long hours reviewing papers as they came in over recent weeks so we can process them as quickly as possible.”
Each filing petition takes about an hour to review. Once that step is complete, a second review, performed by a different WEC specialist, takes place.
The initial review ensures required information appears on the candidate’s nomination papers and that the signers all include addresses that are within the district of the open seat.
The second review is a double-check to ensure nothing was missed and that the number of valid signatures for each candidate have been thoroughly vetted.
Before ballots are set, interested parties can challenge nomination papers until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6. The challenge deadline in the Special Election for Senate District 4 is 4:30 p.m. on June 7.
In addition, candidates have until that time to provide correcting affidavits to fix errors of signers or circulators on their nomination papers.
Staff will review any challenges, responses, and rebuttals and will make recommendations to the Commission for its Ballot Access meeting on June 10. At that meeting, the Commission will vote to determine which candidates are approved for the ballot for the August 13 Partisan Primary or Nov. 5 General Election.
Nomination papers can be viewed at the WEC’s Badger Voters website: https://badgervoters.wi.gov/
To view which candidates have filed ballot access materials, visit the WEC’s “Wisconsin Elections” page: https://elections.wi.gov/elections.
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
If an incumbent officeholder did 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. This year, the nomination paper deadline has been extended by 72 hours for this reason in the following contests:
• Assembly District 9
• Assembly District 31
• Assembly District 87
• Assembly District 88
• Assembly District 89