Madison, WI — Today, State Representative David Steffen (R-Howard) and State Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) introduced a bill that will create a pathway for candidates who have suspended their campaign to prevent their name from appearing on Wisconsin ballots. The process would be available to independent candidates for president or vice president as well as state or federal candidates who meet certain criteria.

“The 2024 campaign cycle revealed a real outlier in Wisconsin election law. The fact that a candidate who has suspended their campaign cannot stop their name from appearing on the ballot, unless they die, is nonsensical. Our current law increases voter confusion and fails to recognize real-world circumstances that may influence a candidate’s decision to continue their campaign. Most states have a process in place for these types of scenarios and it’s in the best interest of our voters to adopt such a pathway in Wisconsin,” said Rep. Steffen.

The proposed legislation creates a formal process for independent candidates for president and vice president as well as other state and federal candidates to work with the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) to request that their name not appear on the ballot. Any candidates wishing to withdraw must submit a sworn statement to WEC prior to the certification of candidate names for that election. WEC is also required to verify the authenticity of such statements and candidates will be required to pay a nominal fee for utilizing the process.
“I believe that you can’t legislate common sense. But this bill might change my mind. Life is unpredictable. Circumstances and situations can change in the blink of an eye. If a candidate for office cannot, or does not want to, continue their campaign, they should be allowed to make that decision and remove their name from the ballot. Again, that should be common sense.”

The proposal is currently circulating for co-sponsorship support before it will be available for consideration
at a public hearing.