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2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 156
April 10, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives J. ANDERSON, C. ANDERSON, BALDEH,
CLANCY, JOERS, MADISON, OHNSTAD, PALMERI, RATCLIFF, SHELTON, SINICKI,
SUBECK and CONLEY, cosponsored by Senators WIRCH, ROYS, CARPENTER,
HESSELBEIN, LARSON and SPREITZER. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and
Elections.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
AN ACT to renumber and amend 5.10; to amend 7.70 (5) (b) and 7.75 (2); and
to create 5.10 (2), 5.11 and 5.12 of the statutes; relating to: entering into an
agreement among the states to elect the president and vice president of the
United States by means of a national popular vote.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Currently, the names of the presidential electors do not appear on the ballot in
this state. Instead, the names of the candidates for president and vice president
appear on the ballot, and each vote cast for one of the tickets is a vote for the
presidential electors whose names are filed by their political party or, in the case of
independent candidates, whose names are filed with the nomination papers of the
candidates. After the winners of the presidential election in this state are
determined, the presidential electors convene and cast their ballots for the
candidates of the party who filed their names or for the independent candidates who
filed their names.
This bill ratifies an agreement among the states that provides that if the
agreement governs a particular presidential election, this state will certify the
electors of the party, or in the case of independent candidates, the electors of the
candidates, who win the national popular vote for president and vice president as the
winning slate of presidential electors in this state. Under the agreement, the
Elections Commission must certify to the other states the winners of the presidential
and vice presidential vote in this state and must accept the determinations of the
chief election officials of the other states in calculating the numbers of votes cast for
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ASSEMBLY BILL 156
the presidential and vice presidential candidates in their states. The agreement
governs the election of presidential electors in this state in any year in which the
agreement is, on July 20, in effect in states cumulatively possessing a majority of
electoral votes.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 5.10 of the statutes is renumbered 5.10 (1) and amended to read:
5.10 (1) 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 to 12, all references to the presidential election, the casting of votes and
the canvassing of votes for president, or for president and vice president, mean votes
for them through their pledged presidential electors, except that if the compact
under s. 5.11 governs the election of presidential electors, the references mean votes
for the presidential electors who represent the candidates.
SECTION 2. 5.10 (2) of the statutes is created to read:
5.10 (2) No later than August 1 of each year in which a president is to be elected,
the commission shall determine whether the compact under s. 5.11 governs the
election of presidential electors at that election in this state and shall promptly
provide a copy of its determination to the legislative reference bureau, and the
legislative reference bureau shall publish the determination in the Wisconsin
Administrative Register.
SECTION 3. 5.11 of the statutes is created to read:
5.11 Interstate compact on election of president and vice president.
AGREEMENT AMONG THE STATES TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT BY
NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE
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(1) ARTICLE I — MEMBERSHIP. Any state of the United States and the District
of Columbia may become a member of this agreement by enacting this agreement.
(2) ARTICLE II — RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE IN MEMBER STATES TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT
AND VICE PRESIDENT. Each member state shall conduct a statewide popular election
for president and vice president of the United States.
(3) ARTICLE III — MANNER OF APPOINTING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS IN MEMBER
STATES. (a) Prior to the time set by law for the meeting and voting by the presidential
electors, the chief election official of each member state shall determine the number
of votes for each presidential slate in each state of the United States and in the
District of Columbia in which votes have been cast in a statewide popular election
and shall add such votes together to produce a “national popular vote total" for each
presidential slate.
(b) The chief election official of each member state shall designate the
presidential slate with the largest national popular vote total as the “national
popular vote winner."
(c) The presidential elector certifying official of each member state shall certify
the appointment in that official's own state of the elector slate nominated in that
state in association with the national popular vote winner.
(d) At least 6 days before the day fixed by law for the meeting and voting by the
presidential electors, each member state shall make a final determination of the
number of popular votes cast in the state for each presidential slate and shall
communicate an official statement of such determination within 24 hours to the chief
election official of each other member state.
(e) The chief election official of each member state shall treat as conclusive an
official statement containing the number of popular votes in a state for each
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presidential slate made by the day established by federal law for making a state's
final determination conclusive as to the counting of electoral votes by Congress.
(f) In event of a tie for the national popular vote winner, the presidential elector
certifying official of each member state shall certify the appointment of the elector
slate nominated in association with the presidential slate receiving the largest
number of popular votes within that official's own state.
(g) If, for any reason, the number of presidential electors nominated in a
member state in association with the national popular vote winner is less than or
greater than that state's number of electoral votes, the presidential candidate on the
presidential slate that has been designated as the national popular vote winner shall
have the power to nominate the presidential electors for that state and that state's
presidential elector certifying official shall certify the appointment of such nominees.
The chief election official of each member state shall immediately release to the
public all vote counts or statements of votes as they are determined or obtained.
(h) This article shall govern the appointment of presidential electors in each
member state in any year in which this agreement is, on July 20, in effect in states
cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes.
(4) ARTICLE IV — OTHER PROVISIONS. (a) This agreement shall take effect when
states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes have enacted this
agreement in substantially the same form, and the enactments by such states have
taken effect in each state.
(b) Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except that a
withdrawal occurring 6 months or less before the end of a president's term shall not
become effective until a president or vice president shall have been qualified to serve
the next term.
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(c) The chief executive of each member state shall promptly notify the chief
executive of all other states of when this agreement has been enacted and has taken
effect in that official's state, when the state has withdrawn from this agreement, and
when this agreement takes effect generally.
(d) This agreement shall terminate if the electoral college is abolished.
(e) If any provision of this agreement is held invalid, the remaining provisions
shall not be affected.
(5) ARTICLE V — DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this agreement:
(a) “Chief election official" shall mean the state official or body that is
authorized to certify the total number of popular votes for each presidential slate.
(b) “Chief executive" shall mean the governor of a state of the United States or
the mayor of the District of Columbia.
(c) “Elector slate" shall mean a slate of candidates who have been nominated
in a state for the position of presidential elector in association with a presidential
slate.
(d) “Presidential elector" shall mean an elector for president and vice president
of the United States.
(e) “Presidential elector certifying official" shall mean the state official or body
that is authorized to certify the appointment of the state's presidential electors.
(f) “Presidential slate" shall mean a slate of 2 persons, the first of whom has
been nominated as a candidate for president of the United States and the 2nd of
whom has been nominated as a candidate for vice president of the United States, or
any legal successors to such persons, regardless of whether both names appear on
the ballot presented to the voter in a particular state.
(g) “State" shall mean a state of the United States and the District of Columbia.
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(h) “Statewide popular election" shall mean a general election in which votes
are cast for presidential slates by individual voters and counted on a statewide basis.
SECTION 4. 5.12 of the statutes is created to read:
5.12 Governor to notify reference bureau when agreement is in effect.
Whenever the governor notifies the chief executives of the other states that the
agreement ratified under s. 5.11 is in effect in this state, or that this state has
withdrawn from the agreement, the governor shall concurrently notify the
legislative reference bureau that the agreement is in effect or is no longer in effect
in this state.
SECTION 5. 7.70 (5) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
7.70 (5) (b) For presidential electors, the commission shall prepare a certificate
showing the determination of the results of the canvass and the names of the persons
elected as presidential electors, or if the compact under s. 5.11 governs the election
of presidential electors, the names of the persons who are certified as winners in
accordance with s. 5.11, and the governor shall sign, affix the great seal of the state,
and transmit the certificate by registered mail to the U.S. administrator of general
services. The governor shall also prepare 6 duplicate originals of such certificate and
deliver them to one of the presidential electors on or before the first Monday after the
2nd Wednesday in December.
SECTION 6. 7.75 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
7.75 (2) The Except as provided in this subsection, the presidential electors,
when convened, shall vote by ballot for that person for president and that person for
vice president who are, respectively, the candidates of the political party which
nominated them under s. 8.18, the candidates whose names appeared on the
nomination papers filed under s. 8.20, or the candidate or candidates who filed their
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names under s. 8.185 (2), except that at least one of the persons for whom the electors
vote may not be an inhabitant of this state. A presidential elector is not required to
vote for a candidate who is deceased at the time of the meeting. If the compact under
s. 5.11 governs the election of presidential electors, the presidential electors shall
vote for the persons for president and vice president who are, respectively, certified
as winners under s. 5.11.
SECTION 7.0Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication,
except as follows:
(1) The treatment of ss. 7.70 (5) (b) and 7.75 (2), the renumbering and
amendment of s. 5.10, and the creation of s. 5.10 (2) take effect upon notification by
the governor to the legislative reference bureau that the agreement ratified by this
state under s. 5.11 is in effect in this state.
(END)
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