Chapter 5 — ELECTIONS — GENERAL PROVISIONS; BALLOTS AND VOTING SYSTEMS

5.01 Scope. (1) CONSTRUCTION OF CHS. 5 TO 12. Except as otherwise provided, chs. 5 to 12 shall be construed to give effect to the will of the electors, if that can be ascertained from the proceedings, notwithstanding informality or failure to fully comply with some of their provi…

5.02 Definitions. In chs. 5 to 12, unless the context requires otherwise: (1c) “Automatic tabulating equipment” means apparatus which automatically examines and counts votes recorded on ballots or voting machines and tabulates the results. (1e) “Ballot” means a ballot label, shee…

5.025 Elections commission; definition. In chs. 5 to 10 and 12, “commission” means the elections commission. History: 2015 a. 118 s. 2; Stats. 2015 s. 5.025.

5.05 Elections commission; powers and duties. (1) GENERAL AUTHORITY. The elections commission shall have the responsibility for the administration of chs. 5 to 10 and 12 and other laws relating to elections and election campaigns, other than laws relating to campaign financing. P…

5.055 Election assistance commission standards board. The commission administrator shall, in consultation with the commission, appoint an individual to represent this state as a member of the federal election assistance commission standards board. The administrator shall also con…

5.056 Matching program with secretary of transportation. The commission administrator shall enter into the agreement with the secretary of transportation specified under s. 85.61 (1) to match personally identifiable information on the official registration list maintained by the …

5.06 Compliance review; appeal. (1) Whenever any elector of a jurisdiction or district served by an election official believes that a decision or action of the official or the failure of the official to act with respect to any matter concerning nominations, qualifications of cand…

5.061 Compliance with federal Help America Vote Act. (1) Whenever any person believes that a violation of Title III of P.L. 107-252 has occurred, is occurring, or is proposed to occur with respect to an election for national office in this state, that person may file a written, v…

5.07 Action to compel compliance. Whenever a violation of the laws regulating the conduct of elections or election campaigns, other than a violation of the laws regulating campaign financing, occurs or is proposed to occur, the attorney general or the district attorney of the cou…

5.08 Petition for enforcement. In addition to or in lieu of filing a complaint, any elector may file a verified petition alleging such facts as are within his or her knowledge to indicate that an election official has failed or is failing to comply with any law regulating the con…

5.081 Petition for enforcement of voting rights. The attorney general shall accept a verified petition from any person alleging failure to comply with section 2 of the federal voting rights act, 42 USC 1973 (a) and (b). The attorney general may commence an action or proceeding in…

5.10 Presidential electors. Although the names of the electors do not appear on the ballot and no reference is made to them, a vote for the president and vice president named on the ballot is a vote for the electors of the candidates for whom an elector’s vote is cast. Under chs.…

5.15 Division of municipalities into wards. (1) (a) 1. Every city, village, and town in this state shall by ordinance or resolution of its common council or village or town board, respectively, be divided into wards as provided in this section, except as authorized in sub. (2). T…

5.18 Enforcement of division requirement. If any municipality fails to comply with s. 5.15, the county in which the municipality is located or any elector of the municipality may submit to the circuit court for any county in which the municipal- 5.25 ity is located within 14 days…

5.25 Polling places. (1) All elections under chs. 5 to 12 shall be held at the polling places provided in this section. The places chosen shall be public buildings, unless the use of a public building for this purpose is impracticable or the use of a nonpublic building better ser…

5.35 Polling place requirements. (1) NATIONAL FLAG. On election days, every polling place shall properly display the national flag during all hours the polls are open. (2) VOTING BOOTHS. There shall be one voting booth for every 200 electors who voted at the last general election…

5.36 Notice of voting by individuals with disabilities. Any individual with a disability may notify a municipal clerk that he or she intends to vote at a polling place on election day and may request that a specific type of accommodation be provided that will facilitate his or he…

5.37 Voting machine requirements. (1) Voting machines shall give every elector a reasonable opportunity to vote for any person for any office and on any proposition the elector is entitled to vote on, assure privacy to the elector so no one will know how the elector is voting or …

5.40 Use of voting machines or systems. (1) Except as permitted in sub. (3) or as required in subs. (4) to (6), the governing body or board of election commissioners of every municipality with a population of 10,000 or more before July 1, 1995, or of 7,500 or more thereafter shal…

5.51 General provisions. (1) The type face used on all paper ballots shall be easy to read. (2) The paper used for ballots shall be 35 pounds per ream for sheets 24 inches by 36 inches. If a different size sheet is used, the weight per ream shall be proportioned accordingly, but …

5.52 Multi-candidate elections. If more than one individual is to be elected to the same office from the same jurisdiction or district, the ballot shall provide at the top of the column or to the right of the row for that office: “Vote for not more than .... candidates.”. History…

5.53 Voting machine ballots. (1) Voting machine ballots shall be placed, projected or composed on a board or screen inside the machine, under s. 5.64 and may be arranged in either columns or rows. The type face shall be easy to read, and the type size may be no smaller than 8 poi…

5.54 Notice to electors. Every ballot, except a voting machine ballot, shall bear substantially the following information on the face: “NOTICE TO ELECTORS: This ballot may be invalid unless initialed by 2 election inspectors. If cast as an absentee ballot, the ballot must bear th…

5.55 Information. On every ballot, except a voting machine ballot, shall be printed “Official .... Ballot” or “Official .... Ballot for ....” followed by the designation of the polling place for which the ballot has been prepared, the date of the election, and the official endors…

5.56 Multiple columns and rows. Whenever the number of candidates for any office requires the use of more than one row or column on a voting machine or whenever the official or agency having the responsibility to determine ballot positions determines that the number of candidates…

5.58 Spring primary ballots. (1a) GENERALLY. At spring primary elections the ballots under subs. (1b) to (2m), when necessary, shall be provided for each ward, except as authorized in s. 5.655. Only nonpartisan candidates nominated for office by nomination papers shall have their…

5.60 Spring election ballots. At spring elections all of the following ballots, when necessary, shall be provided for each ward, except as authorized in s. 5.655: (1) STATE SUPERINTENDENT; JUDICIARY; COUNTY EXECUTIVE; COUNTY COMPTROLLER; AND COUNTY SUPERVISORS. (ag) There shall b…

5.62 Partisan primary ballots. (1) (a) At the partisan primary, the following ballot shall be provided for the nomination of candidates of recognized political parties for national, state and county offices and independent candidates for state office in each ward, in the same for…

5.64 General election ballots. At general elections all of the following ballots, when necessary, shall be provided for each ward: (1) OFFICIAL BALLOT. (ag) Except as authorized in s. 5.655, there shall be a separate ballot giving the names of all candidates for president and vic…

5.65 Special referendum ballots. Unless otherwise provided, ballots for special referenda shall conform to the format prescribed under s. 5.64 (2), insofar as applicable. History: 1983 a. 484; 1999 a. 182.

5.655 Consolidated ballots. (1) Whenever a separate ballot is required to be used, a municipality may use a single ballot to facilitate the use of voting machines or an electronic voting system or, if the municipality employs paper ballots, may use a consolidated paper ballot tha…

5.66 Number of ballots. (1) For local elections, where necessary, municipal clerks shall have sufficient ballots printed or otherwise prepared whenever a voting system does not utilize printed ballots to assure a ballot for all electors or voting machines. For all other elections…

5.68 Cost of elections. (1) The cost of acquisition of ballot boxes and voting booths, voting machines or electronic voting systems and regular maintenance thereof shall be borne by the municipalities in which the boxes, booths, machines or systems are used. (2) Except as otherwi…

5.72 Correcting ballot errors. (1) As soon as possible after ballots are delivered to the county clerk or to the municipal clerk if the municipality is preparing ballots under s. 7.15 (2), but not later than 3 weeks before any election relating to a state or national office or st…

5.76 Adoption, experimentation or discontinuance of systems. The governing body or board of election commissioners of any municipality may by ordinance or resolution adopt, experiment with, or discontinue any electronic voting system authorized by this subchapter and approved und…

5.77 Applicable procedures. (1) So far as applicable, the procedure provided for voting paper ballots applies when an electronic voting system employing the use of ballots distributed to electors is used. (2) So far as applicable, the procedure provided for voting with mechanical…

5.78 Voting booths. At polling places where an electronic voting system employing the use of ballots distributed to electors is used, the municipality shall supply a sufficient number of voting booths for the use of electors as provided in s. 5.35 (2). History: 1979 c. 311.

5.79 Instruction of electors. At polling places where an electronic voting system employing the use of ballots and voting devices is used, the election officials shall offer each elector instruction in the operation of the voting device and ballot before the elector enters the vo…

5.80 Demonstrator electronic voting system. When an electronic voting system is used in a forthcoming election, the municipal clerk may provide, for the purpose of instructing electors in the election, one or more demonstrator electronic voting systems using the names of fictitio…

5.81 Ballot information; arrangement; absentee ballots. (1) Whenever the statutes provide for the use of separate ballots or columns or rows for offices, parties or referenda, and an electronic voting system in which ballots are distributed to electors is used at a polling place,…

5.82 Write-in ballots. If the ballot employed by a municipality does not provide a space for write-in votes, the municipality May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 5.82 ELECTIONS — GENERAL PROVISIONS; BALLOTS & VOTING shall provide a separate write-in ballot,…

5.83 Preparation for use of voting devices; comparison of ballots. Where voting devices are used at a polling place, the municipal clerk shall cause the voting devices to be put in order, set, adjusted and made ready for voting when delivered to the polling place. Before the open…

5.84 Testing of equipment; requirements for programs and ballots. (1) Where any municipality employs an electronic voting system which utilizes automatic tabulating equipment, either at the polling place or at a central counting location, the municipal clerk shall, on any day not…

5.85 Receiving, counting, tallying and return of ballots. (1) At any polling place at which an electronic voting system is utilized, the following procedures for receiving, counting, tallying and return of the ballots shall be used. Whenever paper ballots are utilized at a pollin…

5.86 Proceedings at central counting locations. (1) All proceedings at each central counting location shall be under the direction of the municipal clerk or an election official designated by the clerk unless the central counting location is at the county seat and the municipal c…

5.87 Tabulating votes. (1) If a central counting location is not utilized, the procedure for tabulating the votes by the automatic tabulating equipment shall be under the direction of the chief inspector and shall conform to the requirements of the automatic tabulating equipment.…

5.89 Official return. The return produced by the automatic tabulating equipment shall be appended to the tally sheet by the canvassers. The return constitutes a part of the official return for the ward or election district. The municipal clerk shall check the totals shown by the …

5.90 Recounts. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, recounts of votes cast on an electronic voting system shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in s. 9.01. Except as provided in this subsection, sub. (2), and s. 9.01 (1) (b) 8s., if the ballots are distribut…

5.905 Software components. (1) In this section, “software component” includes vote-counting source code, table structures, modules, program narratives and other human-readable computer instructions used to count votes with an electronic voting system. (2) The commission shall det…

5.91 Requisites for approval of ballots, devices and equipment. No ballot, voting device, automatic tabulating equipment, or related equipment and materials to be used in an electronic voting system may be utilized in this state unless it is certified by the commission. The commi…