Wisconsin Legislative Council
ACT MEMO
One Ea st Ma in Stre e t, Suite 401 • Ma dison, W I 53703 • (608) 266-1304 • le g.council@le gis.wisconsin.gov • http://www.le gis.wisconsin.gov/lc
Prepared by: Katie Bender-Olson, Principal Attorney December 8, 2023
2023 Wisconsin Act 53
[2023 Senate Bill 283]
Recording Live Broadcasts
of Election Canvassing
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 53
Act 53 requires that if the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), a municipality, or a county
broadcasts canvassing proceedings live, that entity must record the broadcast. The act generally
requires WEC, the municipal clerk, or the county clerk to retain any such recording for 22 months.
However, the retention requirement does not apply if WEC or the relevant clerk is unable to retain the
recording because it is maintained on a qualifying Internet video-streaming service that subsequently
goes out of business or is otherwise removed from the Internet. To qualify, the Internet video-streaming
service must have been in operation for at least 10 years and have at least one million account holders at
the time WEC or the clerk posts the recording to the service.
Effective date: December 8, 2023
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
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