Ballot text alerts, preventing poll closures and other changes that could come to Wisconsin's elections
MADISON – Lawmakers in the state Capitol are introducing and holding hearings for bills that would change various voting and election procedures in Wisconsin, though not all of them are likely to get signed into law.
While some stem from clerks' suggestions to improve election administration and have bipartisan support, other bills with support from just Democrats or Republicans are less likely to get hearings or be signed into law.
Republican Rep. Scott Krug of Nekoosa, who chairs the Assembly elections committee, has said his committee is beginning with bills that have bipartisan support.
That means those measures could pass through committees, receive final votes and head to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers before proposals backed by fewer, Republican members.
Here's a rundown of election-related proposals that have been introduced in recent weeks and where they stand.
Clerks could begin processing absentee ballots a day early
A bill introduced by three Republican lawmakers would allow clerks to begin processing absentee ballots the Monday before Election Day — something election officials have long asked for.
Supporters of the change cite the confusion that results when scores of absentee ballots are processed late at central count facilities and added to the returns all at once, sometimes changing which candidate is in the lead.
The "Monday processing" bill also includes other items, such as fixing a deadline to send absentee ballots, verifying voters' citizenship and creating whistleblower protections for clerks who believe they witness election fraud.
Both Krug and two Democrats on both the Assembly and Senate side committees have said they prefer a "clean bill" that only addresses Monday processing, rather than including other items that could be proposed as separate bills.
The bill could get changed through amendments, such as meeting some clerks' requests to make early processing optional and not a requirement for central count cities, such as Beloit and Janesville.
Impossible absentee ballot deadline could be fixed
A separate, bipartisan bill only includes the part about fixing the absentee deadline.
In presidential election years, the February primary — which determines which candidates get on the April ballot — happens after the deadline to send ballots for the April election.
Clerks say the current solution of sending out one ballot with only the presidential primary candidates and a second ballot adding other local races is confusing for voters.
The bill would keep a 47-day deadline for sending ballots to military and overseas voters, but change the deadline to 21 days for all other voters.
A Senate committee voted unanimously to advance that bill to a full Senate vote, but the Assembly committee still needs to hold an executive session to give it the green light.
Voters could receive text alerts about absentee ballot status
Another bill, which would send voters text messages when their absentee application and ballot is received, is at the same stage in the legislative process.
If a voter includes their cell phone number on an absentee ballot application, they would receive text alerts about when their request and completed ballots are received. The phone numbers would be kept confidential.
Voters can also request an absentee ballot, check the status of their ballot and take other steps needed to vote at www.myvote.wi.gov.
Republican proposal would remove state from ERIC database
Republican lawmakers are proposing to remove Wisconsin's membership from a nonpartisan national organization that allows state election officials to catch voter fraud cases.
Two Republicans proposed legislation last month to remove Wisconsin from the Electronic Registration Information Center, also known as ERIC.
Republicans started targeting ERIC since former President Donald Trump launched a baseless campaign to discredit election systems. They also cited concerns that the group prioritizes registering voters instead of ensuring the accuracy of voter lists.
However, the state routinely gets information about voters who might have moved from ERIC, which identifies voter information from the U.S. Postal Service change-of-address request and vehicle registration information.
Even if Evers were to veto the legislation, Republicans are close to having enough members to override his vetoes of this bill or others.
'Sore loser' bill would prevent run-in campaigns after primary loss
Republicans also proposed last month that candidates who lose partisan primaries would not be able to register for a general election write-in bid.
Wisconsin law requires that a write-in candidate must register to have votes counted on their behalf, which would still be the case under this proposal, but the candidate could not do so if they had already run in the partisan primary.
More: Robin Vos’ Trump-endorsed opponent will run as a write-in candidate after losing GOP primary
The bill's authors say it would close a loophole and adhere to the spirit of existing state law, which bars candidates from running in more than one partisan primary at the same time.
Voters could be asked if ID laws should be added to constitution
Republicans also renewed a proposal to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to enshrine state laws that require voters to show identification at the polls.
The state already has voter identification laws, although there are exceptions for military, overseas and permanent absentee voters.
Voters who don't have a photo ID can vote a provisional ballot and show their ID to the clerk up to a certain deadline. Absentee voters who request a ballot by mail must provide a photo of their identification.
Because constitutional amendments need to be passed by two Legislatures in a row, the change wouldn't go into effect until after the 2024 presidential election.
Democrats introduce proposals aimed at young voters
Democrats also introduced a package of proposals this week aimed at educating young voters. Two bills would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote and require school boards to give high schoolers a registration form and other civic information.
One measure would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will turn 18 by the next scheduled election. That idea would have to be approved in a referendum to go into effect.
Another bill would require state officials, including all senators and representatives, to serve as a poll worker during their first term and once every three years. That bill has picked up one Republican co-sponsor.
While those proposals are still circulating in the Legislature to receive co-sponsors, they are less likely to move forward without more Republican support.
The same is true for another bill introduced by Democrats that would register voters automatically. That effort has not advanced in previous years.
Other bills aimed at previous elections controversies still pending
Another package of bipartisan bills introduced in May would respond to elections issues raised since the 2020 election.
Among the changes is preventing polling place closures, after Milwaukee's locations were cut down to five in the April 2020 election.
Another would require military voters to provide their Department of Defense number when requesting an absentee ballot.
That bill is a response to a rare case of voter fraud, in which a Milwaukee election official requested three military absentee ballots and sent them to a state lawmaker — something members of both parties agreed exposed a loophole.
More: Lawmakers hear 4 bipartisan bills to prevent poll closures, help with elections costs
Most of those bills are still pending. Some proposals in that package could soon receive final votes in the Senate or Assembly, while others still need to pass out of a committee or receive a public hearing first.
Molly Beck and Jessie Opoien of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about bills to change voting, election laws in Wisconsin
