Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB223 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
2	2	LRB-2226/1
3	3	MPG:wlj
4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 223
5	5	April 23, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives PIWOWARCZYK, B. JACOBSON,
6	6	BROOKS, DITTRICH, DUCHOW, GUNDRUM, KNODL, KREIBICH, MELOTIK,
7	7	MURPHY, MURSAU, NEDWESKI, O'CONNOR, PENTERMAN, RODRIGUEZ, SPIROS,
8	8	STEFFEN and TUCKER, cosponsored by Senators WANGGAARD, MARKLEIN,
9	9	QUINN and TOMCZYK. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
10	10
11	11	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
12	12	AN ACT to renumber and amend 8.40 (2); to amend 8.10 (3) (intro.), 8.15 (4)
13	13	(a), 8.20 (3) and 9.10 (2) (em) 2.; to create 8.40 (2) (b) of the statutes; relating
14	14	to: residency requirements for persons circulating nomination papers or recall
15	15	petitions.
16	16	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
17	17	Under current law, any person may circulate nomination papers for a
18	18	candidate if the person is eligible to vote in Wisconsin or is a U.S. citizen aged 18 or
19	19	older who, if he or she were a Wisconsin resident, would not be disqualified from
20	20	voting in the state. A person is eligible to vote in Wisconsin if he or she is a U.S.
21	21	citizen aged 18 or older who has resided in an election district in this state for at
22	22	least 28 consecutive days.
23	23	Under this bill, a person must be eligible to vote in Wisconsin in order to
24	24	circulate nomination papers for a candidate. However, under the bill, nomination
25	25	papers and petitions for the candidacy of candidates for the offices of president and
26	26	vice president of the United States may continue to be circulated by any person
27	27	eligible to vote in Wisconsin or by any U.S. citizen aged 18 or older who, if he or she
28	28	were a Wisconsin resident, would not be disqualified from voting in the state.
29	29	Similarly, under current law, any person who is eligible to vote in Wisconsin or
30	30	who is a U.S. citizen aged 18 or older and who, if he or she were a Wisconsin
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34	34	4 2025 - 2026 Legislature
35	35	ASSEMBLY BILL 223
36	36	- 2 - LRB-2226/1
37	37	MPG:wlj
38	38	SECTION 1
39	39	resident, would not be disqualified from voting in the state may circulate a recall
40	40	petition.
41	41	Under the bill, a person must be eligible to vote in Wisconsin in order to
42	42	circulate a recall petition and have the signatures on the petition be counted toward
43	43	a recall.
44	44	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
45	45	enact as follows:
46	46	SECTION 1. 8.10 (3) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
47	47	8.10 (3) (intro.) The certification of a qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a)
48	48	who is a qualified elector of this state shall be appended to each nomination paper.
49	49	The number of required signatures on nomination papers filed under this section is
50	50	as follows:
51	51	SECTION 2. 8.15 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
52	52	8.15 (4) (a) The certification of a qualified circulator who is a qualified elector
53	53	of this state stating his or her residence with street and number, if any, shall appear
54	54	at the bottom of each nomination paper, stating he or she personally circulated the
55	55	nomination paper and personally obtained each of the signatures; he or she knows
56	56	they are electors of the ward, aldermanic district, municipality or county, as the
57	57	nomination papers require; he or she knows they signed the paper with full
58	58	knowledge of its content; he or she knows their respective residences given; he or
59	59	she knows each signer signed on the date stated opposite his or her name; and, that
60	60	he or she, the circulator, is a qualified elector of this state, or if not a qualified
61	61	elector of this state, is a U.S. citizen age 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident
62	62	of this state, would not be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03; that he or she
63	63	intends to support the candidate; and that he or she is aware that falsifying the
64	64	certification is punishable under s. 12.13 (3) (a). The circulator shall indicate the
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83	83	19 2025 - 2026 Legislature
84	84	ASSEMBLY BILL 223
85	85	- 3 - LRB-2226/1
86	86	MPG:wlj
87	87	SECTION 2
88	88	date that he or she makes the certification next to his or her signature. The
89	89	certification may be made by the candidate or any qualified circulator.
90	90	SECTION 3. 8.20 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
91	91	8.20 (3) The certification of a qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) who is a
92	92	qualified elector of this state shall be appended to each nomination paper, except
93	93	that for candidates for the offices of president and vice president, the certification of
94	94	the qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) shall state that the circulator is a
95	95	qualified elector of this state, or if not a qualified elector of this state, is a U.S.
96	96	citizen aged 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not be
97	97	disqualified from voting under s. 6.03.
98	98	SECTION 4. 8.40 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 8.40 (2) (a) and amended to
99	99	read:
100	100	8.40 (2) (a) The certification of a qualified circulator stating his or her
101	101	residence with street and number, if any, shall appear at the bottom of each
102	102	separate sheet of each petition specified in sub. (1), stating that he or she personally
103	103	circulated the petition and personally obtained each of the signatures; that the
104	104	circulator knows that they are electors of the jurisdiction or district in which the
105	105	petition is circulated; that the circulator knows that they signed the paper with full
106	106	knowledge of its content; that the circulator knows their respective residences
107	107	given; that the circulator knows that each signer signed on the date stated opposite
108	108	his or her name; that, except as provided in par. (b), the circulator is a qualified
109	109	elector of this state, or if not a qualified elector of this state, that the circulator is a
110	110	U.S. citizen age 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not
111	111	be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03; and that the circulator is aware that
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135	135	24 2025 - 2026 Legislature
136	136	ASSEMBLY BILL 223
137	137	- 4 - LRB-2226/1
138	138	MPG:wlj
139	139	SECTION 4
140	140	falsifying the certification is punishable under s. 12.13 (3) (a). The circulator shall
141	141	indicate the date that he or she makes the certification next to his or her signature.
142	142	SECTION 5. 8.40 (2) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
143	143	8.40 (2) (b) For a recall petition the certification under par. (a) shall state that
144	144	the circulator is a qualified elector of this state.
145	145	SECTION 6. 9.10 (2) (em) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
146	146	9.10 (2) (em) 2. The circulator is not a qualified circulator elector of this state.
147	147	(END)
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