The Assembly today approved along party lines a bill to make it easier for Wisconsinites to appeal if the Elections Commission rejects a complaint filed with the agency.
There was no discussion ahead of the 54-43 vote. The bill next heads to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk for action.
SB 270 was introduced in light of a state Supreme Court decision related to a complaint challenging the city of Racine’s use of a mobile voting van in 2022. The court ruled complainants can only appeal a commission decision if they have suffered an injury to a legally recognized interest as a result. SB 270 would eliminate that requirement.
It was one of several election bills the chamber approved today.
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The chamber also approved 53-44 a bill to establish certain requirements for absentee voting, sending it to the Senate. Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, the only Republican to oppose the measure, did not speak ahead of the vote.
AB 617 would require clerks to return to voters absentee ballots with faulty or missing certifications if they are received no later than seven days before the election. Under the bill, if the ballot arrived after that timeframe, clerks would have to attempt to contact the voter to correct the issue.
Republicans rejected an amendment from Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, to allow processing of absentee ballots the day before an election.
Snodgrass criticized bill author Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, for going on what she called a “media tour” saying he would pass a Monday processing bill and then not including that provision in the bill.
“This amendment would enable those clerks to begin to process those ballots ahead of time and therefore get those … results that my own colleague said people want to know before they go to bed,” Snodgrass said.
Krug acknowledged his belief that Monday processing would benefit the state, but noted opposition in the state Senate.
“I’m smart enough to know, I’ve been married twice and I have six kids … I don’t always get everything that I want,” Krug said.
Other bills the chamber sent to the Senate for action include:
*AB 595, passed by voice vote, would require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to issue decisions on certain complaints against the commission itself. It would also establish requirements for maintaining the state’s voter registration list, including the removal of ineligible voters. The bill requires biennial audits of the voter registration list and a fee of $1,000 or less to obtain a copy of the voter rolls. The agency has pointed to a 2022 state Supreme Court ruling in taking the position it can’t decide complaints filed against the commission.
*AB 385, passed 55-42, would require those making online political donations to include the security code for their credit card, along with other information. The bill was prompted by GOP complaints about Dem fundraising platform ActBlue, which now requires donors to list their security codes. Rep. Lori Palmeri, D-Oshkosh, joined Republicans in favor.
*AB 426, passed by voice vote, would require uniform and nondiscriminatory access to all stages of the election process for election observers. Election officials who violate the provisions or requirements in current law on the placement and location of election observers could face up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.
*AB 223, passed by voice vote, would require those who circulate recall petitions to be eligible to vote in Wisconsin. It would also allow only those who are eligible to vote in the state to circulate nomination papers for a candidate, with exceptions for presidential and vice presidential candidates.
