Initial Certification:

2005 Wisconsin Act 451 requires that all municipal clerks attend a Government Accountability Board – Elections Division sponsored training program at least once every 2 years, §7.15(1m), Wis. Stats. All Wisconsin municipal clerks must attend the Municipal Clerk Training Core Curriculum Course (MCT Core), by law, before they are certified to conduct an election.
As a Wisconsin municipal clerk, you should fall into one of the three following categories:

1. New municipal clerks - new clerks are required to take the 3-hour MCT Core training before they are certified to conduct an election and need to accumulate three additional hours of election-related training for a total of six hours by December 31, 2014 to recertify for the 2015-2016 term. A list of approved MCT hours is listed below.
2. Municipal clerks who recertified for the 2013-2014 term – clerks who met the recertification requirements by accumulating six hours of election-related training (for new clerks three of the six hours must be MCT Core)  by December 31, 2012 recertified for the 2013-2014 term. During the 2013-2014 term, clerks need to accumulate six hours of election-related training to recertify for the 2015-2016 term. A list of approved MCT hours is listed below.
3. Municipal Clerks who did not recertify for the 2013- 2014 term – clerks who failed to meet the recertification requirements have lost their certification and must start over. This means that in order to qualify as a municipal clerk for election purposes in the 2013-2014 term, the municipal clerk must attend the 3-hour MCT Core training class and accumulate three additional hours of election-related training - for a total of six hours -  by the February 19, 2013 primary before he or she is certified to conduct an election. The six hours of training will certify the clerk for the 2013-2014 term and will also recertify the municipal clerk for the 2015-2016 term.  A list of approved MCT hours is listed below.

Approved MCT Hours

Training opportunities that count toward recertification hours must be approved by the GAB – Elections Division. Examples of activities that count toward recertification hours include:

• Webinar Sessions; either live or using tapes (hours vary)
• WisLine Sessions; either live or using tapes (1.5 hours each)
• Baseline chief inspector training classes (3 hours, once per term).
• SVRS training classes (hours vary).
• Election administration sessions; such as the roundtable discussions or presentations given by GAB staff at Wisconsin Towns Association or Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association meetings, among others (2-3 hours each).
• Election administration sessions, such as the Voter Photo ID outreach presentations given by GAB staff (hours vary).
• Election administration sessions; such as the WisLine teleconferences on the Voter Photo ID Law given by GAB staff, either live or taped (1.5 - 2 hours).
• Training you have received conducted by another county or municipal clerk that has been approved for recertification credit by GAB staff (hours vary).
• Redistricting training conducted by G.A.B. or LRB staff (hours vary).
• HAVA Interface training taken on the WBETS site (2 hours).
• Campaign Finance training by GAB staff (2 hours).
• WEDCS (GAB-190) training by GAB staff (2 hours) or WEDCS (GAB-190) training online (1 hour); you may not claim credit for both.
• Voting equipment testing or training (1 hour per 2-year cycle).
• Municipal Clerk Institute Election training (hours vary).
• Absentee Lite training video (.5 hours). http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/svrs/training/absentee-lite-view
• Canvass training video (.5 hours). http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/svrs/training/canvass-view

Additional Questions

If you have additional questions, please contact Allison Coakley at allison.coakley@wi.gov or 608-261-2033.