Frequently Asked Questions
This Frequently Asked Questions is being added to all the time. Please check back again for new entries.
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| Polling Place Signage Regarding Voter Photo ID for April 5 Spring Election |
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| G.A.B.'s Extended Hours of Operations before, during and after the April 5, 2011 Spring Election |
Starting Friday, April 1, 2011, in addition to our regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), the G.A.B. is offering extended hours before, during and after the April 5, 2011 Spring Election so that your questions get answered and your election-related needs get met We encourage you not to wait until the day of the Primary to contact us to get your questions answered. Our extended hours, including our regular hour are:
Normally, we would close our office on Election Night at 9:00 p.m. Due to the fact than an increasing number clerks are using the canvass system on Election Night, we are staying open on April 5 until 10:00 p.m. in order to be of service to you. You may call our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or email theHelp Desk at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov for assistance. Thank you!
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Circulating Recall Petitions at a Polling Place / Amended |
Due to the anticipated presence of recall petition circulators at polling places, G.A.B. offers the following guidance for clerks, election inspectors, and petition circulators to use at the polls on April 5, 2011:
A formal opinion regarding circulation of petitions at polling places is also available. For further details, please see ElBd Opinion 07-01 (reaffirmed 6/9/08). If you have any questions regarding this guidance, please contact the G.A.B. HelpDesk via phone at 608-261-2028 or via email at gab@wi.gov. |
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| Polling Place On-site Accessibility Compliance Reviews Resume |
I am pleased to announce that the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) is resuming the Polling Place On-site Accessibility Compliance Review initiative beginning with the April 5 Spring Election.
The data collected through the 2009 Polling Place Accessibility Survey is now part of an online database from which we can monitor accessibility issues throughout the State. This database is the product of more than two years of effort with our partners in the disability community and will enhance our ability to assist you in determining whether your polling place is accessible.
G.A.B. staff will be visiting select municipalities for the purpose of conducting new surveys to determine that polling places comply with accessibility standards spelled-out in § 5.25(4)(a):
Each polling place shall be accessible to all individuals with disabilities. The board shall ensure that the voting system used at each polling place will permit all individuals with disabilities to vote without the need for assistance and with the same degree of privacy that is accorded to nondisabled electors voting at the same polling place. This paragraph does not apply to any individual who is disqualified from voting under §. 6.03 (1) (a).
Thank you for partnering with G.A.B. to ensure that voters with disabilities have the opportunity to vote privately and independently.
Should you have questions about accessibility compliance in-and-outside of the polling place environment, please contact Jo Futrell, our Elections Accessibility Specialist at
(608) 261-2009, or at Jo.Futrell@wi.gov. Thank you! |
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| Madison Area (including the G.A.B.) Voicemail System Back Online |
I am pleased to inform you that as of this Wednesday morning, the Madison Area Voicemail System is back online. We have been assured by the Wisconsin Department of Administration that the System is up and working. The resumption of service includes our agency, the Government Accountability Board. Since this past Monday when the Madison Area Voicemail System started manifesting problems, if you left or tried to leave a voicemail message to any G.A.B. staff members, please do not assume we received and were able to retrieve it. Most probably, we never received it. We respectfully ask that you try your call again, or send us an email. Once again, we appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank you. |
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| Information on the Canvass Process for the April 5, 2011 Election |
Information on the Canvass Process for the April 5, 2011 Election:
1) For clerks who create files for upload into the G.A.B. Canvass System: If you are not canvassing municipal level offices, please leave those office types off of the file (LST or XPS) you create for upload. Because of the way contests are named in SVRS, it is often very difficult to match the contests to the correct municipality. Please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at 608-261-2028 if you need help with this process.
2) There is a new version of the Canvass System Manual posted at (http://gab.wi.gov/node/1695). This chapter has been updated with the correct report names, better explanation of the certification process, and a few new tricks for entering data into the system.
3) Directions on Verification and Certification of Results
After you have entered or uploaded your results, follow the directions below to verify your canvass numbers. These rules must be followed for state and federal-level offices. For county-level offices, you may choose whether or not to use the G.A.B. Canvass System.
a) When you have completed the entry of election results, you may print the Canvass Report – GAB 106. This will give a tabular statement of all votes cast for each contest or candidate, along with a summary sheet of vote totals. The canvassing board can use this report to verify vote totals and make adjustments. You MAY NOT use the Canvass Report – GAB 106 to report results to the G.A.B.
b) Once all necessary amendments have been made, click the Verify option in the Canvass System, and print the Federal/State Office Certification Report for G.A.B. for your Board of Canvassers to sign. Please note: You MUST report results to the G.A.B. using the Federal/State Office Certification Report for G.A.B.
c) Once it is signed, scan the entire document (summary statement and certification) and email it to the G.A.B. at wired@seb.state.wi.us.
d) Immediately send the original signed document (summary statement and signed certification) to the G.A.B. at P.O. Box 7984, Madison, WI 53707-7984.
e) Keep a copy of the Canvass Report – GAB 106 (or the Election Night Call-In Sheet (Worksheet with Totals), if your canvass board reviewed results by reporting unit, instead of by contest) and retain with your copy of the Summary Statement and Certification.
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| Checklist III for the April Spring Election |
This checklist covers post-Election Day activities.
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| Considerations for your County Canvass and preparation for potential recount |
DATE: April 6, 2011` TO: Wisconsin FROM: Ross Hein Elections Specialist Government Accountability Board SUBJECT: Consideration for your We are in unprecedented times in many respects, but particularly with regard to a potential statewide recount, which has not occurred since 1989. As you begin your Primary focus is completing the · Please find attached the pamphlet for “Procedures for · Be sure that you have received delivery of all municipal returns and required materials by 4:00 p.m. the day following the election and retain them in a secured location pending the recount, no exceptions. · Conduct a thorough canvass as outlined on pages 2-5 of the attached pamphlet, taking time as necessary to reconcile inconsistencies or issues.
o If any of the returns received from the municipality are defective or contain inconsistencies, it is the responsibility of the municipality to remedy any insufficiencies. o Properly address challenged or provisional ballots at the county canvass. · At the meeting of your county board of canvassers, identify the availability of the board members for recount canvass service for the last two weeks of April and the first week of May 2011 at a minimum. Make sure to identify alternates sufficient in number to address any temporary vacancies during the recount canvass. · Any recount will occur simultaneously in all 72 counties beginning on an identical start time. Teleconferences will occur providing additional detail regarding the recount processes. · After completing the Voting Equipment · Maintain all memory devices and programming for the April 5, 2011 Spring Election in its original format. Please do not erase and transfer memory devices. · Ballots tabulated by electronic voting equipment on Election Day must be tabulated using similar equipment at the recount. Ballots cast on a touchscreen voting system will be hand counted. · Contact your voting equipment manufacturers / programmers to assess the availability of sufficient quantities of memory devices and timely programming services for the recount proceedings. You will need separate distinct memory devices for the recount process that are separate from the devices used in the Spring Election. If you have questions, please contact Ross Hein at (608) 267-3666 or by email at ross.hein@wi.gov. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Director and General Counsel Government Accountability Board Michael R. Haas Staff Counsel Government Accountability Board Nathaniel E. Robinson Elections Division Administrator Government Accountability Board
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| UPDATE: Important Information about the status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
County and Municipal Clerks, in light of the revelation about the Waukesha County’s elections results on Thursday, you may be wondering whether we continue to anticipate that a Statewide recount for the Supreme Court Race is still on. While that decision is one to be made by the candidates, our directive in the meantime is that our office and county clerks should continue to prepare for a Statewide recount until further notice. As we all are aware, with Wisconsin’s highly decentralized election administration in which so many hands touch various parts of the process, there is bound to human error. The checks and balances, redundancies, and audit functionalities built into our business processes, i.e. municipal boards of canvassers, county board of canvassers and the statewide certification procedure, are all designed to identify and resolve discrepancies. In terms of catching errors so they can be resolved, the canvass process works. It worked in Milwaukee, Winnebago, Crawford, Shawano, Vernon, Rusk, Iowa, Door, Portage, Grant and all other counties that had changes. We have received no evidence that it did not work in Waukesha County. We are aware that these are trying and challenging times for the public’s confidence in elections. To help redirect some of the media contacts away from your offices, as your 2011 Spring Election canvasses are certified by our staff, we are posting them on our website for public access with the caveat that we have not yet certified the results. We do not believe any of our clerks would do anything illegal to jeopardize their own reputation, or Wisconsin’s reputation for clean, fair and transparent elections. We have full confidence in Wisconsin’s county and municipal clerks, and in our business processes. We are grateful for all that you do to ensure the integrity of our elections. We hope that you are motivated and inspired by the current state of events to continue to strive for and achieve excellence. We will keep your updated. Thank you! cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| SVRS 2011 Spring Survey |
In an effort to maximize our resources and better serve our clerk-partners, once again we are surveying county and municipal clerks to determine the need for beginning and advanced SVRS training, including the absentee process. If you or members of your staff needs training, please complete and submit the online survey at the link below by April 20, 2011. A SVRS training schedule will be developed based on the results of the survey. This round of training will be conducted in May and June 2011. Scheduling and seating priority will be given to clerks who have not yet taken SVRS training. Additional absentee training classes will be conducted in late summer/fall 2011 to prepare self-providers for the November 2011 deadline for using full absentee. Clerks new to using full absentee in SVRS are encouraged to take the training as early as possible. Thank you for your continued cooperation. If you have questions, please contact Allison Coakley: allison.coakley@wi.gov or (608) 261-2033. If you do not need training, please disregard this survey. If you are a relier for SVRS services and don't plan to become a self-provider, please disregard this survey. Click here to take the SVRS Application Training Survey. |
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| UPDATE #2: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
DATE: April 14, 2011 TO: Wisconsin FROM: Nathaniel E. Robinson Elections Division Administrator Government Accountability Board
SUBJECT: UPDATE #2: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process Please Respond by Close of Business on Friday, April 15, 2011. Note Last Section on Page Two for Whom Response Should be Addressed to. Thank you! As a follow-up to the April 8, 2011 Update, I am writing to share additional information on the possibility of a Statewide recount for the Supreme Court Race. Even though neither campaign has yet requested a recount, it is our duty to continue to proceed with the planning process as though there will be a recount. We expect to know definitively one way or the other on Tuesday, April 19 whether there actually will be a recount. Some Important Dates to Keep in Mind: 1. Friday, April 15, 2011: This is the date that all county canvasses are to be completed and submitted to the Government Accountability Board. At this point only 2. Tuesday, April 19, 2011: Barring some unforeseen intervention (i.e. court action), we expect to learn by this date if either campaign will request a recount and the scope of the recount, if any, i.e. Statewide, select counties. If we receive the 2. The week of April 25, 2011: Once again, barring some unforeseen intervention (i.e. court action), we anticipate the recount process to begin that week. 3. The G.A.B. will conduct a teleconference meeting before the recount begins to review standard procedures for the recount. Recount Preparedness (Getting Ready): If you have not already begun to do so, please start the recount preparation now. Some of the most basic preparation activities include: 1. Secure and retain intact all memory devices from tabulation voting equipment. 2. Immediately notify your Board of Canvassers of the possible April 25 Recount Start Date 3. If any Canvass members will not be available for all or portions of a Statewide recount, now is the time for identifying alternates to be used to fill temporary vacancies 4. Please identify the location where the canvassing will take place and as a contingency, reserve the location for sufficient period. 5. Now is the time to identify tabulators, people to assist your Recount Canvass Board during the recount, that may be employed by your office to sort ballots, reconcile poll lists, etc. Extra support may be necessary and early identification of those that can assist will allow you to focus on your other recount preparations. Method of Tabulating Votes During Recount: We are receiving information from some county clerks who use prom packs with tabulating equipment for their voting systems, and they report that they are unable to get sufficient additional prom packs from their respective vendors to conduct the recount, while at the same time preserving and retaining intact the Election Day prom packs. If there is to be a Statewide recount, it will be conducted under uniform standards issued by our office, and these standards will be consistently applied. In light of the strong likelihood that all counties may not be able to secure the necessary additional memory devices to use electronic tabulating equipment to assist in a Statewide recount, the Government Accountability Board is planning to seek court relief in some fashion next Wednesday, April 20. This may mean getting judicial permission to clear memory devices for reuse during the recount or to conduct a Statewide hand count of all ballots in the recount. Your Availability for a Teleconference Call Meeting: In order to answer your questions and to ensure everyone understands what to expect and how to prepare for a possible Statewide recount, we will hold a teleconference meeting next Thursday, afternoon, April 21 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., or the following Monday, April 25 , also from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Note the section below. We would like to seek your input regarding these dates and, of course, if no recount petition is filed the teleconference will be cancelled. Important Request for your Immediate Attention and Feedback to the G.A.B.: Please respond to us by the close of business on Friday, April 15 with the following information: 1. What date is best for you or your designee to participate in a teleconference call, April 21 or April 25? 2. Are your offices open on Thursday, April 21; Friday, April 22; and, Monday, April 25? 3. Have you secured additional memory devices for use in tabulating equipment to recount votes? Please provide our office with detailed information regarding your efforts and the results. This information is needed by our office to assist with seeking court relief as soon as next Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Address Your Email Responses to both: Ross Hein Michael Haas Elections Specialist Staff Counsel Ross.Hein@wi.gov Michael.Haas@wi.gov (608) 267-3666 (608) 266-0136 Thank you!
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| Who Shoulders the Cost Burden for the Recount of a State Office? |
All county canvasses have been received, and we wait to see if a petition for recount for the Office of Justice of the Supreme Court will be filed. The deadline for filing a petition for recount is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. The candidate may petition for a recount in all wards in Wisconsin, or may select specific wards or municipalities to be recounted. S. 9.01(1), 3., Wis. Stats. Since the vote difference between the Supreme Court candidates is less than .05% (0.488%, to be exact), the petitioner would not be required to pay any fee for the recount. Due to misinformation provided in media reports, I wish to clarify where the cost burden for the recount of a state office lies. The County Boards of Canvassers are charged with conducting the recount of a state office. S.9.01(1)(ar), 3., Wis. Stats. Just as costs for elections for state office are borne by the county, so are costs associated with a recount of a state office. As usual, if you have questions, please refer them to our Help Desk at gab@wi.gov or 608-261-2028. Thank you. |
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| UPDATE #3: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
A hearty thanks for your 100% response by last Friday as we requested. Once again, we appreciate your patience. I regret to inform you that we still do not know for certain whether there will be a recount of the Supreme Court race. In my previous correspondence I said, “We expect to know definitively one way or the other on Tuesday, April 19 whether there actually will be a recount.” That day should have read “Wednesday” rather than Tuesday. As such, we expect to know definitively one way or the other on tomorrow (Wednesday, April 20, by 5:00 p.m.) whether there will be a recount. Until we know one way or the other by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, we continue to proceed with the planning process as though there will be a recount. Important Updates: 1. There will be no teleconference call scheduled for Thursday, April 21, 2011. 2. A teleconference call will be held on Monday, April 25, 2011, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. During this teleconference, updates on any litigation will be provided and we will review the recount process. 3. If there is to be a recount, we still anticipate that process to begin sometime during the week of April 25, 2011, barring a court order otherwise. 4. If there is to be a recount, our office will issue an Order that will include uniform standards and procedures for conducting the recount. A Statewide recount conducted by County Canvass Boards will occur at the same time. There will be no staggering of the process. 5. We are preparing to file an action in Circuit Court (represented by the Wisconsin Department of Justice) this Thursday, April 21 to seek court relief in some fashion to obtain permission to clear memory devices for reuse during the recount or to conduct a Statewide hand count of all ballots in the recount. Update on Waukesha County’s April 5, 2011 Spring Election Returns: This afternoon, Director Kennedy issued a Statement on the status of the Government Accountability Board’s review of this matter. The Statement is posted on our website under the “Latest News” section. A complete report will be issued within the next sixty days. Thank you! |
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| UPDATE #4: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
IMPORTANT BREAKING NEWS! There will be a Statewide recount of the Supreme Court contest. The recount petition was filed in the Government Accountability Office Additional information will be forthcoming. |
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| UPDATE #5: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
Preparations for the Monday, April 25, 2011 Teleconference Call Meeting 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. As part of the preparations for our Teleconference Call Meeting scheduled for Monday, April 25, 2011, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., we are providing you with the following information and materials: Toll Free Call-in Information:
G.A.B. Court Action: Today (Thursday, April 21), on behalf of the Government Accountability Board, the Wisconsin Department of Justice filed an action in Circuit Court to seek court relief due to the shortage of memory devices for the Optech Eagle voting systems. We have been advised that the memory cartridges for the Optech Eagle are no longer manufactured, insufficient memory cartridges are available from the manufacturer or other sources, and the counties that will use the Optech Eagle for the recount have insufficient reserve memory cartridges, in addition to the ones used in the spring election. By stipulation of the candidates, the Dane County Circuit Court has ordered that any reporting unit having ballots tabulated on Optech Eagle voting systems at the Spring Election will have those ballots hand counted in the recount. Counties that utilize voting systems other than the Optech Eagle will be required to tabulate results using the electronic voting system which was used on Election Day, as provided by section 5.90, Wis. Stats. We will discuss this further during the teleconference and the supplemental materials provided tomorrow, Friday, April 22, 2011 Teleconference Materials: The Agenda along with the Supreme Court Recount Plan will be provided to you tomorrow. The Supreme Court Recount Plan will supplement the Election Recount Procedures Manual. Together these documents provide uniform standards and procedures, and will serve as the official and primary source documents that will be used for conducting the statewide recount process. A copy of the Recount Manual is available on the G.A.B. website at: http://gab.wi.gov/manuals/recount. We especially call your attention to the four Checklists found on pages 7-10. These procedures will be discussed during our meeting on Monday, April 25. Please print out the Election Recount Procedures Manual and have ready for our discussion. We look forward to further discussion these matters on Monday afternoon, April 25, starting at 1:30 p.m. Thank you. |
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| UPDATE #6: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
Preparations for the Monday, April 25, 2011 Teleconference Call Meeting
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| UPDATE #7: Status of the Statewide Supreme Court Race Recount Process |
Attached is the Recount Order issued by the Government Accountability Board related to the election for Supreme Court Justice. We will provide additional follow-up information in an e-mail tomorrow as we discussed in the telephone conference this afternoon. Thank you for your participation and the valuable questions and feedback you offered.
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| UPDATE #8: Follow Up to April 25, 2011 Teleconference and Recount Directives |
Please see the attached memorandum and revised Recount Plan. |
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| UPDATE #9: Recount Reminders |
Thank you for your careful attention to detail during the recount process. Statewide, the recount got off to a relatively smooth start yesterday. Some questions arose, of course, regarding procedural and equipment issues, as well as decisions related to specific ballots. That is the case in any recount and we are not aware of any unusual situations or controversies that your Boards of Canvassers were not able to resolve. We appreciate that you, Board members, tabulators, and other assistants are being thorough and meticulous in completing your tasks. We want to provide you with the following guidance and reminders as you proceed with the recount process. Canvass Reporting System: The Canvass Reporting System is now open for use during the Supreme Court recount, and includes a Recount results set for each county to use. After logging into the Canvass Reporting System and selecting the 2011 Spring Election, you will see that the status of the canvass for the 2011 Spring Election is “Recount – In Process”. Click on your county’s name to access the results sets for the Justice of the Supreme Court Contest and you will see the Recount results set. Please note that some counties have had recounts in other contests, in which case there will be two Recount results sets in the results set dropdown. The Justice of the Supreme Court recount is the recount results set at the top of the results sets in the dropdown. The Canvass System will default to the correct result set and you will see that results can only be entered into the Justice of the Supreme Court contest. The Recount results will be filled in with the Original results that were certified. You may enter changes manually or upload a new file. Follow the same steps you did for the original canvass to enter results, verify, and certify your Recount results. Even if you have no changes to make you will need to hit save before you can verify your recount results and print your certification report. If you have any questions regarding entering your results into the Canvass Reporting System please consult the online user manual at http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/publication/69/canvass_chapter_apr... Nightly emails: Thank you for submitting your nightly emails to document totals for wards that have been completed. We wish to clarify that the “total ballots cast” figure should include blank ballots and overvotes and undervotes, not only the total of the votes cast for either candidate and scattering. For your information in the event you are asked by the public or by the media, we discovered several data entry errors on our end this morning which we are correcting in the spreadsheet posted on our website. Results for a handful of reported municipalities erroneously reflected large differences in total ballots cast or vote swings in the 40 – 130 vote range. We are also instituting measures to double check our spreadsheet before posting it on the website. When we observe a significant change from the original county canvass reports (more than a 10 vote swing), we will determine if it is our data entry or if we need additional information from you to verify the results before posting them. If you detect a significant difference from the original canvass results that was addressed by the Board, it would be helpful if you could provide a brief explanation in order to confirm the change which might make it unnecessary for us to try to connect with you while you are busy with recount duties. Q&A Section: As indicated in our previous communication, we are posting common or significant questions that have been raised by clerks and our responses, in the Recount Questions and Answers section of the recount page on our website, at http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/recount. You may find guidance regarding an issue that arises by consulting that information. However, we encourage you to contact us by telephone or by email at gabrecount@wi.gov if you need assistance with any questions, particularly if the Board is asked to do so by one of the candidate’s designated representatives. Correction of Email Address for Attorney Troupis: In Status Update #8, we provided an incorrect email address for Attorney Jim Troupis, one of the attorneys representing the Prosser campaign. The correct email address is jrtroupis@troupislawoffice.com. Please correct your records to use this address when providing notice regarding canvassing multiple wards or other matters that are conveyed to the four attorneys representing the campaigns.
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| Guidance on Revising Voter Participation Data in SVRS/GAB-190 after the Recount |
Please keep the 2011 Spring Election open in SVRS and be prepared to update SVRS and the GAB-190 with changes from the recount process. For the recount results, Clerks should enter data into SVRS and the GAB-190 as they always do, and complete all data entry by May 5, 30 days after the April 5 election. Due to the recount, SVRS users however, should leave the 2011 Spring Election open until after the recount is completed. If the recount changes the voter participation numbers, it is critically important that you adjust SVRS and the GAB-190 to reflect the new totals. For example, on Election Day, poll workers incorrectly rejected an absentee ballot. During the recount process, the ballot is accepted. The voter should be issued a voter number, and have history recorded in SVRS. The GAB-190 will be adjusted to show one more ballot and one more voter. Municipalities that have closed the election in SVRS do not have to reopen it unless their voter history changes in the recount. If you need to reopen the election in SVRS, directions are in the Post Election Activities chapter of the SVRS Manual. As usual, if you have questions, please direct them to our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028 or GABHelpDesk@wi.gov. Thank you! cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance Instructions |
Voters eligible for the Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance have been marked as Active – Suspended in SVRS. On April 14, 2011, those voters eligible for the Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance were updated in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). These voters now have a status of “Active – Suspended (4 Years Notice).” For the time being, those voters will show up on poll lists, and in all respects, function like any other Active voter. The G.A.B. will send postcards to all affected voters on Friday, April 29. On April 29, approximately 240,000 voters will be mailed Notice of Suspension of Registration postcards, and will be given 30 days to respond. The Government Accountability Board will pay for printing and postage for all postcards. |
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| UPDATE #10: Recount Reminders |
The G.A.B. thanks you for your hard work and attentiveness throughout the statewide recount. Below are some additional reminders as you proceed with the recount process. Adjusting SVRS and the GAB-190 Please keep the 2011 Spring Election open in SVRS and be prepared to update SVRS and the GAB-190 with changes from the recount. Clerks should enter data into SVRS and the GAB-190 as they always do, and complete all data entry by May 5, 30 days after the April 5 election. However, because of the recount, SVRS users should leave the 2011 Spring Election open until after the recount is completed. If the recount changes the voter participation numbers, you must adjust SVRS and the GAB-190 to reflect the new totals. For example, on Election Day, poll workers incorrectly rejected an absentee ballot. In the recount, the ballot is accepted. The voter should be issued a voter number, and have history recorded in SVRS. The GAB-190 will be adjusted to show one more ballot and one more voter. Municipalities that have closed the election in SVRS do not have to reopen it unless their voter history changes in the recount. If you need to reopen the election in SVRS, directions are in the Post Election Activities chapter of the SVRS manual. G.A.B. Staff Availability Over the Weekend Please note that Elections Specialist Ross Hein and Staff Counsel Mike Haas will be available to offer assistance with the recount over the weekend. The cell phone numbers for Mike Haas is (608) 228-7075 and Ross Hein is (608) 228-7078
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| UPDATE #11: Recount Reminders |
As of noon today, we have over 50 percent of the reporting units in the state that have completed their recount for the office of Supreme Court. Thirty five counties have reported that they have finished their recount with many nearing completion. The statewide recount has illustrated the dedication and hard work election officials have for the electoral process. The G.A.B. thanks you for your commitment in ensuring accurate and verified recount results. Maintaining all Spring Election and Recount Election Returns Please make sure that all election materials from both the Spring Election and Boards of Canvassers are maintained in the original format. Do not send any of your electronic voting equipment memory devices to the manufacturers / programmers until after the time period for appeals to the circuit court has passed. With potential litigation, the election materials may be necessary for any court action. The G.A.B. will provide notification to all county clerks when both the spring election and recount materials may be addressed per § 7.23 Wis. Stats. Thank you.
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| UPDATE #12: Recount Reminders |
With the statewide recount now more than halfway complete, many Boards of Canvassers are working diligently to complete their county recount by the Monday, May 9, 2011 deadline. The G.A.B. cannot stress enough our gratitude for the meticulous work you and your Canvass Board Members have demonstrated throughout this historic time. Please see the following updates from the G.A.B. regarding the Supreme Court recount. Recount to be Complete by Monday, May 9, 2011 Recounts are required by §9.01 (1) (5)(ar)(3) to be completed thirteen days from the date of the G.A.B. order, requiring the Boards of Canvassers to be complete the recount by May 9, 2011. The G.A.B. requests that you assess your current progress and determine when the Board of Canvassers will finish the recount. If you believe you may not finish by the deadline, please notify the G.A.B. by sending electronic communication to GABRecount@wi.gov. Please notify us by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 4th, as it may be necessary that we request a court order if an extension is required for any counties. In this communication, please make sure to include the steps the Canvass Board is taking in an attempt to meet this statutory requirement. Also, please copy the email to the candidates’ legal counsel at the following email addresses: Prosser Campaign: Jim Troupis jrtroupis@troupislawoffice.com Kloppenburg Campaign: Susan Crawford crawford@cwpb.com The G.A.B. advises that Boards of Canvassers take the necessary actions to expeditiously but attentively recount the remaining reporting units, such as hiring additional tabulators or processing multiple reporting units simultaneously. Please note the G.A.B. requests that you send notification to the GABRecount@wi.gov and the candidates’ attorneys at the email addresses listed above if you do plan to recount more than one reporting unit at the same time. Additionally, make sure the Board of Canvassers has a detailed organizational plan so reporting units remain separate while recounted concurrently. County to Retain Election Returns In Update #11, the G.A.B. addressed retaining both the Spring Election and Boards of Canvassers records until after time period for appeal to the Circuit Court has passed. To further clarify, the county needs to retain all the election materials at the county headquarters until further notice is provided by the G.A.B. Recount Result to be Verified by County Clerk In response to questions the G.A.B. has received, after the recount has been completed by the Board of Canvassers, the county clerk will need to make the necessary changes in the Canvass Reporting System. After you have determined that all the numbers entered in the system are accurate, you will need to “verify” and send the G.A.B. a signed electronic copy of the “Federal State Certification Report for G.A.B.” to either wired@seb.state.wi.us or by fax at (608) 267-0500. Please make sure to mail the original version to the G.A.B. Send Recount Minutes to the G.A.B. Once you have completed your recount, please make sure to send your recount minutes to the G.A.B. The G.A.B. requests that you both email the minutes to GABRecount@wi.gov and mail the minutes to Government Accountability Board, Attention Michael Haas, 212 E. Washington Ave., Third Floor, Madison, WI 53703. Thank you. |
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| Preparing for 2012: Roundtable on Life Cycle of Voting Machines |
In preparation for the 2012 federal elections, US-EAC will host a roundtable all day Thursday, May 5, to discuss the life cycle of voting machines. See the agenda and details. This roundtable will be available live via webcast. An on-demand webcast will also be available within 24 hours. |
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| Recall Elections Tentatively Set for Tuesday, July 12, 2011 - Counties Likely to Have a July 12 Recall Election |
Barring any unforeseen court action, Tuesday, July 12, 2011 has been set for holding all recall elections. The Government Accountability Board will meet on May 23 and May 31 to consider the sufficiency of recall petitions, and will make decisions accordingly. If there is not a legal challenge to the Board’s decisions, recall elections could be held in the following counties on July 12: County State Senate DistrictADAMS COUNTY District 14 Please also note that if a primary is required in either of these Senate Districts,, it will occur on July 12 and the election will be held on August 9. We ask that you start planning now for a possible election on July 12. This information will be periodically updated. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy
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| Election Defense Alliance Open Records Request for Spring Election Materials |
We have received several requests for guidance regarding recent open records requests for the contents of removable memory devices for the voting systems used in the past Spring Election. Additionally, the open records request includes election materials from the Spring Election. It is our understanding that the guidance sought includes specifics on how to treat the requests, what to produce, and the mechanics of production. Unfortunately, such guidance really is legal advice regarding the application of Wisconsin’s open records law found in Chapter 19, Wis. Stats. Please note that the open records law is not within the jurisdiction of the G.A.B. and, therefore, we cannot provide legal advice regarding the application of those statutes. However, in an effort to provide some helpful information, we can provide the following for your consideration. If your counsel requires legal advice, your counsel may wish to contact the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office as they have authority to interpret and provide opinions regarding the open records law. The recent request for the contents of the removable memory devices for the voting systems used in the past Spring Election will require further investigation in consultation with the voting equipment manufacturer and/or programmer, as well as your attorney. Your attorney can advise you on how to proceed with respect to preservation of any records subject to an open record request immediately prior to a statutorily approved disposal date. In order to make sure that all requested records that statutorily must be disclosed are in fact available to public inspection, clerks should request the position of the voting equipment manufacturer and/or programmer to prevent violations of trade secret, copyright, trademark, proprietary and general confidentiality rights of the manufacturer and/or programmer. Most importantly, clerks should seek consultation with their respective municipal or corporation counsel regarding the implications of the statewide recount, pending recount litigation, and trade secret proprietary interests of manufacturers/programmers of voting systems, as they relate to open record provisions and specific open records requests. If your municipal or corporation counsel has questions regarding the state wide recount, pending recount litigation, trade secret and open records provisions, they may contact G.A.B. Staff Counsel, Shane Falk at (608) 266-2094. In Attorney Falk’s absence, please contact Staff Counsel, Michael Hass, at (608) 266-0136. Lastly, please see the attached document from the Wisconsin Department of Justice which provides its views about public records law pursuant to § 19.39, Wis. Stats. The WI Department of Justice has stated: A municipal or county clerk reasonably could determine that the public interests in satisfying those statutory preservation requirements by retaining the requested election records intact as they currently are secured by the county clerks outweighs any public interest in disclosure at this time, and therefore deny the pending Election Defense Alliance public records requests on that basis. The attached document from the Wisconsin Department of Justice could be used by your counsel as a factor in weighing your ability to respond to the open records requests for the Spring 2011 election materials. If you have any further questions regarding these recommendations by the G.A.B., you may contact Elections Specialist, Ross Hein at (608) 267-3666. Thank you. |
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| Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance Webinars Scheduled |
As discussed in previous communications, voters eligible for the Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance have been marked as Active – Suspended in SVRS. Those voters were sent postcards on Friday, April 29th. Municipal and county clerks have begun to receive postcards returned by the post office and by voters wishing to remain on the registration list. Instructions are currently posted on the G.A.B. website. If you search under Recent Clerk Communications, you will find a link to Four Year Voter Record Maintenance Instructions. You may choose to print only the directions for the Four Year Maintenance, or the larger Post Election Activities chapter, which includes these directions. The G.A.B. has scheduled two Webinars for clerks with questions about the Four Year Maintenance. They will take place on Tuesday, May 17th, at 10:00 am, and Wednesday, May 18th, at 2:00 pm, and last for approximately one hour. In the webinar, we will give some background on the Four Year Maintenance, discuss what arrangements SVRS providers should make with their relier clerks, demonstrate how to record returned postcards in SVRS, and cover some frequently asked questions. Clerks will have the opportunity to ask additional questions if desired. Both webinars will cover the same information, so there is no need to attend both. Information on signing in to the Webinars is given on the next page. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at 608-261-2028. Thank you. Instructions on signing in to the Webinars: To Join the Webinar on Tuesday, May 17, at 10:00 am: 1. At the time listed above, click this link to join the Webinar: To Join the Webinar on Wednesday, May 18, at 2:00 pm: 1. At the time listed above, click this link to join the Webinar: If you have difficulties signing in, you may contact our help desk at 608-261-2028, but be aware that we have a limited ability to help with technical problems, so it is best to involve your local IT staff first. Thank you! |
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| State Write-In Absentee Ballot Information for Recall Elections |
If certified by the Government Accountability Board, Recall Elections for certain State Senate districts will be scheduled for July 12, 2011 and many clerks have been inquiring about the transmission of the state write-in absentee ballot (SWAB). Pursuant to §7.14(1)(cs), Wis. Stats., the SWAB must be transmitted “no later than the 90th day before the election, or as soon as possible after the offices to be contested at the election are known, whichever is later.” The SWAB cannot yet be sent for the potential July 12, 2011 Recall Election(s) because no election can be officially scheduled until after the Board meets and certifies the recall petitions. In addition, contests for the July 12, 2011 Recall Election(s) will not be known until after nomination papers are submitted and candidates certified, on June 14, 2011. The number of candidates will determine if the Recall Election on July 12, 2011 is a primary or a general election, and thus whether there is one general contest or one contest for each party. The determination of contests for the July 12, 2011 Recall Election will be too close to the election for clerks to send a SWAB. However, if the July 12, 2011 Recall Election is a primary, then clerks must send a SWAB for the Recall General Election to be held August 9, 2011. Once candidates are certified by the G.A.B., it will be determined if July 12, 2011 is the Recall Primary or Recall General Election. The G.A.B. will keep clerks apprised of recall candidate and election information. There is enough time before the August 9, 2011 Recall General Election for clerks to send a SWAB to military electors. If you do not send a SWAB and are only sending an official ballot, we encourage you to consider faxing or emailing the official absentee ballot to military electors, or arranging for expedited shipping, to ensure that military electors have enough time to receive and return their ballots. Do Not Need to Send State Write-In Absentee Ballot
Must Send Write-In Absentee Ballot
REMINDER:All military electors State Write-In Ballots (and official ballots) must be tracked in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). Those who do not use SVRS (Reliers) must inform their Provider of the military elector’s name and the date the ballot was sent. Please contact the GAB Help Desk at 608-261-2028 if you have any questions. |
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| UPDATE #13: Retain April 5 Election Materials from Recount until Further Notice |
In accordance with our Update #11: Recount Reminders, that was posted to our website on May 2, 2011, we requested the following: Please make sure that all election materials from both the Spring Election and Boards of Canvassers are maintained in the original format. Do not send any of your electronic voting equipment memory devices to the manufacturers / programmers until after the time period for appeals to the circuit court has passed. With potential litigation, the election materials may be necessary for any court action. The G.A.B. will provide notification to all county clerks when both the spring election and recount materials may be addressed per § 7.23 Wis. Stats. Thank you. A Friendly Reminder…..Once again, we ask county clerks to continue to retain all April 5, 2011 Spring Election materials at the county headquarters until you are advised through this update process that you may return election materials to municipal clerks. The deadline for filing an appeal of the recount results to circuit court is the close of business on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. You will receive an additional update after that deadline. Self-providing municipalities or non-county providers for municipalities are encouraged to proceed with data entry or correct previously entered data following the potential Supreme Court Recount Circuit Court Litigation. After the time period for appeals to the circuit court, or court action is complete, materials may be returned to the municipalities. Note that no later than Wednesday morning, June 1, 2011, we will provide notification to clerks when the Spring Election materials may be returned to municipalities. In order to facilitate data entry, County Clerks serving as providers may immediately begin data entry or correct any previous data entries in SVRS or WEDCS for the April 5, 2011 Spring Election, for any municipalities for which county provides SVRS. If any of your election materials are secured with a tamper-evident seal and you would need to break that serialized seal to access these election materials, please wait until the after the time period for appeals to the circuit court or court action has passed before accessing these materials. We appreciate your cooperation. If you have questions regarding this matter or require assistance with post election-day processes, you may contact the Government Accountability Board’s Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Distribution of Cost Relative to Special Elections or Recall Elections for a State Office |
With the anticipated state senate recall elections and at least one special election (Assembly District 48) coming up this summer, several county and municipal clerks have asked for clarification of distribution of costs for these elections. Section 5.68(2), Wis. Stats., provides that if no other level of government is involved in a school or special district election, whether occurring on a regularly-scheduled election day or not, the district calling the election shall pay for all costs of ballots, supplies, notices and other materials. Sections 5.68(2), (5), and 7.03(1)(bm), Wis. Stats., provides that when a county, school district, or special purpose district holds a special election at a time other than a regularly-scheduled election day*, all costs of the election are the responsibility of the jurisdiction calling the special election (all costs of the ballots, supplies, notices and other materials, including the cost of the polling place, if any, and election inspectors. Neither statute mentions special elections for state offices (which are called by the Governor) or recall elections for state offices (which are called by the Government Accountability Board). Due to the silence of the statute with respect to these types of elections, it is assumed that none of the special cost provisions cited above apply to special or recall elections for state office, and that the standard cost distribution applies. If you have questions, please contact Diane Lowe at 608-266-3276 or diane.lowe@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| State’s New Voter Photo ID Bill |
Voter Photo ID Law Status: No ID Currently Required for VotingTwo separate judges, on March 6 and March 12, 2012, have issued injunctions preventing the Government Accountability Board from enforcing photo ID requirements in 2011 Act 23. The Wisconsin Department of Justice has appealed those injunctions, and the appeals have been certified to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which on April 16 sent them back to the respective Courts of Appeals.
Governor Walker signed the Voter Photo ID Bill into law on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. This law requires significant changes to long-established election administration practices and procedures. The purpose of this communication is to inform you that working in close collaboration with you, the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) staff is preparing to ensure a smooth, efficient and effective implementation of this new law, starting with the planned July 12, 2011, recall election. The G.A.B. is charged with a graduated implementation of this law over the next 15 months with the first changes going into effect on the day following publication of the law in time for the tentatively planned July 12, 2011 recall elections. A major provision of the new law (presenting a Statutory ID in order to receive a ballot) will not be required until the February 2012 spring primary election. The legislation however, calls for a “soft implementation” of the photo ID concept by requiring poll workers to request photo ID for any elections held in 2011 and provide an informational hand-out to voters who do not have the required identification. Final provisions relating to eliminating the straight party voting option will not go into effective until November 2012. As you may be aware, since April 2011, our agency has focused primarily on providing information on Photo ID and other election reform bills that were and still are being considered by the Legislature; providing information on recall efforts; and, overseeing the recent statewide recount for the Supreme Court contest. In-between, we administered the April 5 Spring Election and the May 3 Special Election for Assembly Districts 60, 83 and 94, caused by the resignations of Mark Gottlieb, Scott L. Gunderson and Michael D. Huebsch, respectively. We are now beginning to turn our full attention to developing plans for implementing Photo ID. A lot has to be fleshed out and decided between now and when the tentatively planned July 12, 2011 recall elections are held, including but not at all limited to the following:
Although time is very tight between now and the tentatively planned July 12, 2011 recall elections, we will work closely with municipal and county clerks to make sure we (G.A.B., clerks and the voting public) are prepared to meet these new challenges and opportunities. As always, we appreciate your suggestions, feedback and your usual cooperation. You will be hearing from us. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy
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| UPDATE #14: Recount of Justice of the Supreme Court Contest Complete -- The Statewide Recount Decision will not be Appealed |
The Kloppenburg Campaign announced on Tuesday, May 31, that they will not appeal the final statewide recount decision for the Supreme Court Contest. The recount for Justice of the Supreme Court Contest is now complete. Section 9.01 (6) Wis. Stats., provides that any candidate aggrieved by the recount may appeal to the circuit court within 5 business days after the completion of the recount determination by the chairperson of the board or the chairperson’s designee. The deadline for any candidate to appeal the recount determination for the Justice of the Supreme Court was yesterday, May 31, 2011, with neither candidate filing an appeal with the circuit court. The county clerk may now return to the municipality the portion of the election materials to be retained by the municipal clerk. Both the county and municipal clerk needs to retain these specified materials for the time period prescribed in § 7.23 Wis. Stats. which incorporates the legislative changes from 2009 Wisconsin Act 397. The Revised Retention Policy- Electronic Election Data released on June 9, 2010, may be found at the following link: http://gab.wi.gov/node/1126 Additionally, with the completion of the Supreme Court recount, we request your assistance with inputting or updating the following records which reflects the determinations made by the County Boards of Canvassers during the recount.
For your convenience, we have extended the deadline until July 1, 2011, to record voter participation and statistics in SVRS and/or in WEDCS. Thank you for your hard work and dedication for the detailed work you and your Canvass Board have demonstrated throughout the recount activity. Should you have questions about entering in Voter Participation or statistics, or require assistance in resolving discrepancies, please contact the GAB HelpDesk at either GABHelpDesk@wisconsin.gov, or at (608) 261-2028. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Status of Recall Elections |
At two separate meetings, May 23 and May 31, 2011, the Government Accountability Board addressed the recall petitions for Senators Cowles, Darling, Harsdorf, Olsen, Hopper and Kapanke. After hearing staff’s legal analysis and hearing challenges to the petitions, the Board directed staff to file the recall petitions and attach certificates of sufficiency on May 31, 2011, but no later than June 3, 2011. On June 1, the Board filed a motion for an extension of the time to consider the remaining three recall petitions for Senators Holperin, Wirch and Hansen (Senate Districts 12, 22 and 30, respectively). A hearing to determine if an extension will be granted is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, before Judge Markson in Dane County Circuit Court. Pending Judge Markson’s approval for an extension, the Board is scheduled to consider the Holperin, Wirch and Hansen petitions on Wednesday, June 8. If those petitions are found to be sufficient, the next possible election date would be July 19. As a part of the June 3 hearing, it is possible that an argument to schedule all nine recall elections for the same day may be presented by attorneys for either the recall petitioners or the incumbents. Therefore, G.A.B. staff will await further instruction from Judge Markson on June 3 before issuing Type A Notices for Recall Election for Senate Districts 2, 8, 10, 14, 18 and 32. In the event the Judge’s decision affects the recall elections which the Board has already directed to be called, you will be informed by email late Friday afternoon. Otherwise, the Type A Notice will be sent to you via email and will also be placed on the G.A.B. website. Thank you for your patience during this process. I realize your ability to timely publish notices and prepare for these elections hinges on proceedings and processes over which you have no control. I continue to admire your dedication and sense of duty in the face of these additional challenges. If you have questions or comments, please our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Elections Division / Ross Hein Appointed Campaign Finance and Elections Supervisor |
Following an open and competitive recruitment and selection process, Director Kennedy and I are pleased to announce the appointment of Ross Hein as our new Elections Division’s Campaign Finance and Elections Supervisor, starting Monday, June 6, 2011. Please join us in congratulating Ross and welcoming him to his new position, new challenges and new and exciting opportunities. Ross succeeds Barbara Hansen who was the incumbent for twenty years, and retired from state government on January 3, 2011. The job duties that Ross will manage are different from the majority of the tasks that were assigned to Barbara, whose primary concentration was IT and SVRS. Ross will focus more on program, policy, legislation and related election administration management activities, as well as direct supervision of our IT, SVRS and Help Desk staff. Bottom line, our aim is to offer and ensure a higher standard of customer service to you, our valued partners, our voters and the public at large. His first priority will be to lead the effort for implementing the new Voter Photo ID bill. As you may know, Ross joined the G.A.B. (formerly the State Elections Board) some 5½ years ago as an Elections Specialist, during which time he trained countless municipal clerks, chief election inspectors and members of the general public. As our in-house designated voting systems expert, Ross manages a multi-million dollar HAVA grant program for accessible voting equipment, coordinates audits of voting equipment, and facilitates statewide testing and evaluation of electronic voting systems. He has been project manager for staffing various clerk advisory committees, and he spearheaded the team that developed G.A.B.’s Administrative Code Regulations on ballot and electronic voting system security. In addition, he was project manager for the recent statewide recount of the Supreme Court contest. Ross also serves on the agency Accessibility Advisory Team, and is the Elections Division Administrator’s designee on the U. S. Election Assistance Commission’s Standards Advisory Board. Ross worked as a law clerk, a law clerk intern, and as a student assistant in a child day care center while in undergraduate school, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science in May 2005. He is a CERA (Certified Elections/Registration Administrator) graduate from Auburn University, August 2008, and is currently enrolled in a public policy and administration masters’ program at Northwestern University since August 2010. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Status of Special and Recall Elections in SVRS |
This memo is for clerks in these districts: Clerks in Senate Districts: Clerks in Senate Districts: This memo contains SVRS user information but also information for non SVRS users. Please read the full memo. Scheduled Recall and Special Election Dates:
NOTE: All Recall Election dates and information are subject to change due to potential court action. Please check the G.A.B. website regularly for updates. Elections are set up in SVRS and may now be inherited. If your municipality is using the usual polling place location and reporting unit plans, you may inherit the election now. If there are any changes to your normal polling places or reporting units, you must contact G.A.B. staff to help you set up a special Polling Place Assignment Plan (PPAP) or Reporting Unit Plan (RUP) in SVRS. Each Senate District has been set up in SVRS as an individual election. You must select the election that corresponds with the district(s) in your municipality. If your municipality or county has more than one senate district with a recall election, you must inherit more than one election in SVRS. All Clerks in the Senate and Assembly Districts listed above: Please contact the G.A.B. if any of the following apply to you: 1) You are changing the normal polling place location for any wards. For example, usually you have three polling locations, but for the recall or special election, you plan to have everyone vote in the one location. 2) You are changing how you report your results to the county canvassing board. For example, normally you print wards 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6 in three separate poll books, and you report the votes casts for each of these three separate groups. For the recall or special, you plan to have one large poll list, and report the votes cast as one set of numbers. You should contact the G.A.B. if you are changing how you report your numbers, even if your polling location remains the same. 3) Only part of your municipality is in the recall or special election district. A Polling Place Assignment Plan and a Reporting Unit Plan will have to be created in SVRS that only includes wards in the district up for election. The G.A.B. will inform you whether an additional election is necessary after the candidate filing deadline. If more than one candidate for a party files for the election, the July election will become a primary, with a general election held in August. For example, if a primary is held on July 12, the general election will be held on August 9, 2011. If a primary is held on July 19, the general election will be held on August 16, 2011. The filing deadline for the July 12 elections is 5:00 pm on June 14, 2011. The filing deadline for the July 19 elections is 5:00 pm on June 21, 2011. Contact Military Electors. The time frame of the Recall Elections is short. Military electors, especially those overseas, may have a more difficult time receiving, marking, and returning their absentee ballots in time. We therefore, strongly encourage municipal clerks to contact their permanent military absentee electors via email or fax and inquire if they would like to have their absentee ballot emailed or faxed to them. Clerks may contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) at 1-800-438-VOTE (8683) or vote@fvap.gov to request the email address of a military elector. Note that an emailed or faxed ballot must contain the initials of the municipal clerk or deputy before being scanned or faxed. State write-in ballots do not need to be sent for the July 2011 Recall Elections but once it is known that the July Recall Elections are primaries, a state write-in ballot must be sent to all military electors for the August Recall Elections. For those in Assembly District #48, a state write-in ballot should be sent for the August 9th General Election. All military electors’ absentee ballots must be tracked in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) by the municipal clerk or his/her SVRS Provider. Remember that the new Photo ID law requires some new procedures for the 2011 July and August elections. We will be reformatting the poll book so voters can sign as the new law requires beginning with the 2011 elections. Residency requirements have changed from 10 days before the election to 28 consecutive days which will also go into effect for the 2011 elections. Corroborating witnesses will no longer be accepted as proof of residence. A number of absentee deadlines have also changed. Please watch for further updates from the G.A.B. concerning these changes. If you have questions or comments, please our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Photo ID Law Update #1: Changes to the Election Process Effective Immediately |
Major Impacts of the New Voter Photo ID Bill
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| Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance Process Update: Inactivation of Voters Who Did Not Respond to Notice of Suspension of Registration |
IMPORTANT UPDATE! The 2010-2011 Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance process is almost complete. Based on information in SVRS, of the 240, 505 postcards mailed, 52,418 (22%) postcards were returned to as undeliverable, 14,636 (6%) postcards were returned requesting continuation, and 173,451 (72%) postcards have not been recorded in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) as returned. Please make these recordings in SVRS immediately. Relier clerks are reminded to forward any returned Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance postcards to their Provider clerk for processing. Clerks should continue to record the returned mailing even after the voter records have been updated to inactive status. On today (Friday, June 10, 2011), the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) staff will run a batch process in the SVRS to inactivate the voter records of individuals who did not respond to the Notice of Suspension of Registration sent on April 29, 2011. Voters who did not respond will be given a status of “Inactive – 4 Year Maintenance” in SVRS. Voters whose records were recorded as returned undeliverable will also be given the status “Inactive – 4 Year Maintenance.” Clerks viewing voters in SVRS will see that some of their voters have the status of “Inactive – 4 Year Maintenance.” On or before Wednesday, June 14, 2011, staff will send a list of inactivated voters to each municipality and county. The list will include who were voters sent postcards as part of the Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance process and the voter’s current status. For additional detailed instruction on the Four-Year Voter Record Maintenance please refer to the G.A.B. website, or contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028. Thank you. |
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| Photo ID Law Update #2 Changes to Election Process Effective Immediately |
The first update on the new Voter Photo ID law was posted to our website on June 10, 2011, titled In response to the recent passage of 2011 Wisconsin Act 23, the Photo ID Law, G.A.B. staff are focusing only on those provisions in the new law that must be applied to the 2011 July and August summer recall and special elections. We will concentrate on implementing the provisions that become effective in 2012, after this summer’s election process is concluded. On two occasions staff met with the Wisconsin Election Administration Council (WI-EAC) and with municipal and county clerks to solicit feedback and recommendations on election forms and policy documents for complying with the new law. Please note that the revisions in the attached documents address only the requirements for elections held prior to the Spring February 2012 Primary Election. Additional changes may be made in order to fully comply with the Photo ID law beginning with the February 2012 Primary. The following forms and policy document are attached to this update or are linked to:
Effective immediately and going forward, these revised forms and documents need to be used by municipal clerks from this date. Many of you probably have a stockpile of forms such as the Absentee Certificate Envelope. You may use up your old stock by simply crossing out the old 10-day resident requirement and add “later than 28 days.” Or, you may place a sticker containing the new language over the old language. In addition, effective immediately, the revised Absentee Application should be used by absentee electors going forward. If an absentee elector makes a request using the old form, the absentee request must be honored and will not affect the absentee ballot status. The revised Voter Registration Application (GAB-131) must be used immediately by all voters going forward. Any former versions of the GAB-131 may not used. We realize a lot of new information is being shared with you within a short period of time. We appreciate your patience, and we appreciate your dedication to the electoral process during this abnormally busy time period. If you have questions regarding this Update, the attached documents, the Photo ID law or our planned implementation process, please contact our Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov or (608) 261-2028. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein |
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| Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for July 12, 2011 Primary Election |
Clerks in Senate Districts: Clerks in Omro School District The G.A.B. has checked Milestone #3 for the July 12, 2011 Primary Recall Elections July 12, 2011 Primary Special Election. Please read the full memo. Scheduled Primary Recall Elections for July 12
Please refer to the memorandum of June 10, 2011, “Status of Special and Recall Elections in SVRS”, for information regarding inheriting the election. Be sure to choose the district that is in your county. State Senate District 18 is visible to users outside of the district due to the Omro School District Referendum. If there are other contests that are on the July 12 ballot, I ask that you contact Angie Steinhauer at (608) 264-6763, or Angela.Steinhauer@wi.gov to set up the contest in SVRS. State Write-In absentee ballots should not be sent for the July 12 Primary Elections. Official absentee ballots should be sent for the July 12 Primary Elections as soon as they are available. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Photo ID Law Update #3 -- Changes to Election Process, Effective Immediately |
On June 21, 2011 G.A.B. staff issued Photo ID Law Update #2: Changes to Election Process, Effective Immediately which provided revised forms and documents in response to the recent passage of 2011 Wisconsin Act 23. At this time, we are only focusing on those provisions of the law that must be applied to the 2011 July and August summer recall and special elections. We will concentrate on implementing the provisions that become effective in 2012 after the summer’s election process is concluded. Attached to this update you will find the following documents:
If you have questions regarding this update, the attached documents, the Photo ID law or our planned implementation process, please contact our Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov or (608) 261-2028. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein
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| Voter Photo ID Informational Teleconference Calls Scheduled |
By now, we trust you have had a chance to review the Voter ID implementation information we posted to our website last week. Within the next several weeks, G.A.B. staff will be conducting a series of WisLine teleconference calls to answer questions county and municipal clerks may have regarding Wisconsin’s Voter Photo ID Law and our newly posted information. Clerks without email were mailed these documents last week. At this time, we are only focusing on those provisions of the law that must be applied to the 2011 July and August summer recall and special elections. We will concentrate on implementing the provisions that become fully effective in 2012, after the summer’s election process is concluded. Each WisLine teleconference is limited to 100 phone lines. If you are unable to access the teleconference on one particular date, please try another date. We will schedule additional dates and times if needed. The schedule is as follows:
Call-in information: Call in to the conference up to 10 minutes prior to the start time using the numbers below: Toll-free Number: (800) 462-1257 If you have questions about the scheduled WisLine teleconferences, the Photo ID law or our planned implementation process, please contact our Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov or (608) 261-2028. Thank you.
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| Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for July 19, 2011 Primary Election |
DATE: June 28, 2011 TO: Clerks in Senate Districts: #12 (Holperin), #22 (Wirch), #30 (Hansen) FROM: Nathaniel E. Robinson Elections Division Administrator Government Accountability Board SUBJECT: Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for July 19, 2011 Primary and General Election The G.A.B. has checked Milestone #3 for the July 19, 2011 Primary Recall Elections in State Senate Districts 12 and 22, and the 2011 Recall Election for State Senate 30. Please read the full memo. Scheduled Primary and Recall Elections for July 19 Ø There are two Republican candidates for the 12th and 22nd Senate Districts. They have been added to SVRS and should appear with “Approved-Approved” Status. Ø There is only one Republican and one Democratic candidate in the 30th Senate District. No primary will be held, and the July 19 election will be the general election for that district. Because of this change, the 2011 Primary Recall Election for State Senate 30 has been deleted from SVRS. You must inherit the election called 2011 Ø Ø Absentee ballot labels can be generated for official absentee ballots after Milestone #4 is checked at the municipal level. Ø If your municipality is not completely in the election district, a filter must be used when generating absentee ballot labels to limit the issuance to just the voters that should get an absentee ballot. Please refer to the memorandum of If there are other contests that are on the July 19 ballot, please contact Angie Steinhauer at (608) 264-6763, or Angela.Steinhauer@wi.gov to set up the contest in SVRS. State Write-In absentee ballots should not be sent for the July 19 elections. Official absentee ballots should be sent for the July 19 elections as soon as they are available. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you.
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| Voter Photo Information Teleconference Call - Friendly Reminder |
Friendly Reminder:G.A.B. staff will be conducting a WisLine teleconference call today from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. to answer any questions county and municipal clerks may have regarding Wisconsin’s Photo ID Law and our newly posted information. Clerks without email were mailed these documents last week. Please have the documents listed in the Voter ID Law Updates 2 & 3 printed out and available for reference. Additional teleconference dates and times are available next week and posted here under Recent Clerk Communications. Clerks are eligible to receive recertification training hours for participating in the teleconference. If you have chief inspectors available to participate in the teleconference from your office, they may also receive recertification training hours. At this time, we are only focusing on those provisions of the law that must be applied to the 2011 July and August summer recall and special elections. We will concentrate on implementing the provisions that become fully effective in 2012, after the summer’s election process is concluded. Call-in information: Call in to the conference up to 10 minutes prior to the start time using the numbers below: Toll-free Number: (800) 462-1257
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| G.A.B.’s Extended Hours of Operations before, during and after the July 12, 2011 Recall and Special Elections |
Starting Monday, July 11, 2011, in addition to our regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), the G.A.B. is offering extended hours before, during and after the July 12, 2011 Recall and Special Elections so that your questions get answered about the new Voter Photo ID Law and your election-related needs get met We encourage you not to wait until Election Day to contact us to get your questions answered. Our extended hours, including our regular hour are:
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross Hein |
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| Guidance regarding Wisconsin Citizens for Election Protection request |
Municipal clerks in the senate districts conducting recall elections this summer have received a request from Attorney James Mueller on behalf of an organization called Wisconsin Citizens for Election Protection (WCEP), dated July 1, 2011. Several clerks have requested guidance from the Government Accountability Board in responding to the request. This memorandum provides the Board’s guidance and recommendations specifically for clerks currently conducting recall elections, but also for all municipalities which may receive similar inquiries in the future. WCEP makes two requests of clerks, which apparently are intended to illustrate whether machine counting of ballots is unreliable or inaccurate. As you know, the recent statewide recount, in which many of the ballots originally counted by machine were recounted by hand, gave us a direct demonstration of the overall accuracy of the voting equipment. The first request of WCEP is to encourage municipal clerks in municipalities over 7,500 to request a waiver from the G.A.B. from the statutory requirement to use electronic voting equipment. That decision, of course, is up to each municipality and the G.A.B. will respond to any such requests. Section 5.40(5m), Wis. Stats. requires the governing body of the municipality seeking such a waiver to petition the G.A.B. for permission to use paper ballots and voting booths for a specific election. Attorney Mueller’s correspondence also indicates that, in municipalities which use voting equipment, WCEP observers may submit a public records request, asking that the observers be allowed to visually inspect each ballot on Election Night as election inspectors sort through them to identify write-in votes. While you and your election inspectors may wish to accommodate such a request, we do not believe that any provision of Wisconsin’s election laws or Public Records Law requires that you do so on Election Night. Observers are certainly entitled do watch the process of canvassing ballots after the polls close, but they are not permitted to interfere with or disrupt the process. Wis. Stats. §7.41. In the Board’s opinion, election inspectors should focus on their specific statutory duties to canvass and secure ballots, and to forward results to the municipal clerk. If the request to view or photograph individual ballots will disrupt the canvassing process, distract inspectors from their duties, or delay completion of the process, we would discourage inspectors from granting the request of WCEP to inspect individual ballots on Election Night. In addition, if a public records request is made to inspect ballots, such requests should be directed to the clerk as custodian of those records, not to election inspectors. Also, clerks should keep in mind that ballots must be secured until the time allowed for filing a recount petition, or appealing a recount, has expired, pursuant to §7.23(2), Wis. Stats. Absent a recount request or a pending public records request, ballots involving a federal office may be destroyed after 22 months, and ballots without a federal office may be destroyed 30 days after other elections. §7.23, Wis. Stats. We suggest that you consult with your municipal attorney to use the balancing test for any public records request. However, because the election process is not completed until all recount deadlines have expired, it is the Board’s opinion that public access to ballots should be denied prior to the expiration of any applicable recount deadline in order to preserve the integrity of the election. We hope that this information is helpful and we are available to consult further with you or your municipal attorney regarding this guidance. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact our Help Desk at 608-261-2028. |
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| Guidance Regarding Poll Book Printing for the Summer Elections and Future Elections |
The requirement that voters sign the poll book is now the law, effective with all elections, starting with the 2011 Recall and Special Elections! If a voter is not physically disabled and still refuses to sign, that voter will not be eligible to receive a ballot for voting. Please refer to our website under “Recent Clerk Communications” for Photo ID documents that provide additional details. Based on advice of county and municipal clerks who made recommendations to us on how to best meet this “sign-the-poll-book” provision of the new Photo ID law, we moved the certification page to be the first page of the poll book. Since the updates to poll books with the new upside down signature line for the voters, the file size of the poll box has gotten larger. Municipalities that use SVRS may no longer be able to print directly to the printer or use the “V:\” or “U:\” shortcuts when exporting poll books. These municipalities will need to export their poll books to the “My Documents” folder on the Citrix login page, then copy the file to their PC for printing. If needed, you can find detailed instructions on pages 7-13 of the SVRS Instructional Manual, available at the following link: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/education-training/svrs-manual, and click on “Poll Books Chapter June 28, 2010.” cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross Hein |
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| Photo ID Law Update #4 -- Changes to Election Process, Effective Immediately |
This high priority communication about Wisconsin’s Voter Photo ID Law is directed primarily to county and municipal clerks with summer recall or special elections. This communication however, contains important information for all clerks to review and become familiar with. Please note that this information has been conveyed in previous Updates, and more detail (see our website, “Recent Clerk Communications.”) We are including a summary in this correspondence for your convenience. Special Note to County Clerks: County clerks, we would especially appreciate your additional contact with the municipal clerks in your county asking them to visit the G.A.B. website often or, for clerks without email, review the documents we mailed to them approximately two weeks ago. The Voter Photo ID Handout that is required to be given to voters who do not have a legislatively-approved ID and other important documents can be found on our website, primarily in Voter ID Law Updates 2 & 3. Please visit the site frequently: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/recent-communications To ensure all voters that vote in any election prior to the 2012 February Primary are provided uniform and consistent information, please pay special attention to the following critical aspects of the Voter Photo ID Law:
Also, of special note:
Thank you for your attention to this important information. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk: (608) 261-2028 or gabhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Wisline Voter ID Teleconference Audio is now available |
G.A.B. staff conducted WisLine teleconference calls recently to answer any questions county and municipal clerks may have regarding Wisconsin’s Photo ID Law and our newly posted information. Clerks are eligible to receive recertification training hours for listening to one of the teleconferences attached below. If you have chief inspectors able to listen online to the recoreded teleconference, they may also receive recertification training hours. Please click on the red "Play" button below to listen in this browser window, or right-click the "Download" link to save the file to your computer for listening later. |
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| Photo ID Law Update #5 -- What We Learned from the Primaries |
Overall, the recall and special primary elections held this past Tuesday, July 12 went relatively smooth. There are lessons to be learned regarding the “soft implementation” of the photo ID law that clerks and election inspectors need to pay special attention to so similar situations do not occur for future elections. Please make sure the following items are a point of focus for any election held prior to the 2012 February Primary:
On the photo ID section of our website, we have been taking many of the questions that we have received from our clerk partners and have made them available in a question and answer format. To access the photo ID section of our website, please see the following link: http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/photo-id It has come to our attention that the GAB-117 General Information on Voting Rights contained references to corroborating witnesses. As the photo ID law now prohibits using corroborating witnesses in lieu of proof of residence, we have removed such references and the updated form is now available on our website under “Forms.” Thank you for your attention to this important information. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk: (608) 261-2028 or gabhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Polling Place On-site Accessibility Compliance Reviews |
This is a second friendly reminder that the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) is continuing the Polling Place On-site Accessibility Compliance Review initiative for the Summer Recall and Special Elections. Each polling place shall be accessible to all individuals with disabilities. The board shall ensure that the voting system used at each polling place will permit all individuals with disabilities to vote without the need for assistance and with the same degree of privacy that is accorded to nondisabled electors voting at the same polling place. This paragraph does not apply to any individual who is disqualified from voting under s. 6.03 (1) (a). In order to cover as many polling places as possible during the 2011 Recall and Special Elections, the Government Accountability Board is supplementing our staff by hiring a team of trained temporary workers to assist with the On-site Accessibility Compliance Reviews. Thank you for partnering with G.A.B. to ensure that voters with disabilities have the opportunity to vote privately and independently. Should you have questions about accessibility compliance in-and-outside of the polling place environment, please contact Jo Futrell, G.A.B.’s Elections Accessibility Specialist at 608-261-2009, or at Jo.Futrell@wi.gov. Thank you! cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Jo Futrell |
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| Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for August 9, 2011 General Election in Districts Listed Below |
TO: Clerks in Senate Districts: #2 (Cowles), #8 (Darling), #10 (Harsdorf) and Assembly District #48 (Seat Vacated by Parisi)
Municipal clerks should contact military electors and send absentee ballots electronically if possible to provide enough time for military electors to receive, mark and return absentee ballots.
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| Review of Minutes from the Recount of the State Supreme Court Justice Election |
As part of the recount of the State Supreme Court Justice contest from the April 5, 2011 Spring Election, counties were required to take detailed minutes of the recount proceedings and submit them to the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.). In order to garner information from these minutes, the minutes collected from all 72 counties were reviewed and the incidents from the recount were compiled and summarized. Below is a list of issues that occurred statewide. This list is delineated into different categories in order to make it user-friendly. These items made up the vast majority of incidents recorded in the recount minutes. While the issues identified in the Board of Canvassers’ minutes need to be corrected for future elections, the G.A.B. has no evidence that any of the incidents affected the outcome of the election or demonstrated intentional wrongdoing by local election officials. To the contrary, the recount primarily confirmed the accuracy of the original canvass result and, where errors in the process or discrepancies were discovered, it was the meticulous work of recount officials which ensured that each ballot was reviewed to try to determine the voter’s intent. The G.A.B. presents this summary in the spirit of transparency, with the purpose of continuously improving election administration and maintaining public confidence in Wisconsin’s electoral system. Issues regarding Poll Book Reconciliation
Issues dealing with Ballots/Ballot Containers
Issues dealing with the Absentee process and Absentee Ballots
Issues dealing with Voting Equipment and Elections Materials
Issues regarding required GAB Forms (GAB-101, GAB-104, etc.)
Conclusion Overall, the statewide Recount for the office of Supreme Court Justice was handled professionally and efficiently by local election officials. Although it was a difficult task, the recount provided the Government Accountability Board, county and municipal clerks, and the public a unique opportunity to review election-related business processes. Lessons learned will generate new training opportunities including WisLine training teleconferences, step-by-step guides and additional topics for in-person and virtual classroom training conducted by the Government Accountability Board and our clerk partners. The Government Accountability Board will continue to offer new help guides, such as the Poll Worker Checklist, in order to assist and train local election officials. New and comprehensive training and public education initiatives will continue to demonstrate to concerned members of the public that elections in the State of Wisconsin are being carried out efficiently, effectively and with the fullest possible transparency now and in the future.
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| Update: The 2010 Census Redistricting Initiative |
Many of you have inquired about the status of the 2010 Census Redistricting implementation. This memorandum provides updates. Please read this information in its entirety as this is an important status that clerks should be aware of as municipalities and counties finalize their respective redistricting plans.
We wish we had more specific and definitive information to share with you, especially in light of actions being taken by our Legislature. As soon as we have something meaningful and accurate to share with you, we will continue to do so. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov or 608-261-2028. Thank you. Attachment cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for August 9, 2011 Recall Election in the Senate Districts 18 and 32 |
To: Clerks in Senate Districts: #18 (Hopper), #32 (Kapanke)
Please refer to the memorandum of June 10, 2011, “Status of Special and Recall Elections in SVRS”, for information regarding inheriting the election. Be sure to choose the district that is in your county. Municipal clerks should contact military electors and send absentee ballots electronically if possible to provide enough time for military electors to receive, mark and return absentee ballots. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for August 9, 2011 Recall Election in the Senate District 14 |
TO: Clerks in Senate Districts: #14 (Olsen)
Please refer to the memorandum of June 10, 2011, “Status of Special and Recall Elections in SVRS”, for information regarding inheriting the election. Be sure to choose the district that is in your county. Municipal clerks should contact military electors and send absentee ballots electronically if possible to provide enough time for military electors to receive, mark and return absentee ballots. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Milestone #3 Checked in SVRS for August 16, 2011 Recall Election in the Senate District 12 |
The G.A.B. has checked Milestone #3 for the August 16, 2011 Recall Elections in State Senate District 12. Please read the full memo.
Municipal clerks should contact military electors and send absentee ballots electronically if possible to provide enough time for military electors to receive, mark and return absentee ballots. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Invitation to Pose Questions to United States Postal Service Representative |
The Government Accountability Board staff will be scheduling a meeting with Dan Schneider, Mailing Solutions Specialist with the Lakeland District of the United States Postal Service (USPS), in the next few weeks. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss USPS services and issues with respect to election mail (cost, timely delivery, use of the Election Mail Logo, etc.) and identify methods to improve the absentee voting experience for voters and municipal clerks. Municipal clerks are the vanguards of absentee voting. As such, your experiences are important to the discussion. We invite you to submit any questions or comments you may have for Mr. Schneider regarding election-related mail. Submission topics can be related to mail service, your relationship with your local postmaster, complaints from voters or suggestions for improvement. Please provide your comments or questions for Mr. Schneider no later than Wednesday, August 3, 2011. You may make your submissions by FAX (608-267-0500), email (gabhelpdesk@wi.gov), or mail at the post office box listed above. We will post a list of the questions and the responses on our website. Thank you for sharing your USPS experiences with us. We look forward to making the absentee voting process a more positive experience for all. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| WCEP Requests Regarding August Elections |
Several clerks involved in the August recall elections have requested guidance regarding an email communication from Attorney Jim Mueller on behalf of Wisconsin Citizens for Election Protection (WCEP). The email includes statements asserting and implying that the statutory procedures for machine counting of ballots may be unreliable or insecure, statements which the Government Accountability Board strongly disputes. Regarding the requests made by Attorney Mueller, the Board issues the following guidance and directives:
An increasing number of organizations appear to be attempting to impose their own desired standards or procedures upon clerks and election inspectors, who should be confident that they are following the uniform steps required under Wisconsin law. Though well-intentioned, these efforts may serve to create confusion and uncertainty among voters and election workers. Pursuant to Sec. 5.05(1), Wis. Stats., only the Government Accountability Board is charged with the general authority and responsibility for the administration of Wisconsin election laws. The Board continues to advise election officials to consult and comply with the procedures required by Wisconsin Statutes and in accordance with the Board’s training and manuals. If you have any additional questions regarding the WCEP request, please contact the G.A.B. HelpDesk at (608) 261-2028. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Michael R. Haas |
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| Caution Against Reliance on Third-Party Election Information |
Several election officials have informed the Government Accountability Board of unauthorized third-party information such as “reference guides” on websites purporting to describe the required procedures for election officials. For example, the “We’re Watching Wisconsin Elections” group has recently published four reference guides for observers to use that contained numerous significant and factual errors. We advise that you and your election inspectors should NOT accept these guides as accurate or authoritative statements of Wisconsin election administration law. We recommend the following:
If you have questions about this guidance, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov. Thank you! cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Michael R. Haas |
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| The G.A.B. has checked Milestone #3 for the August 16, 2011 Recall Elections in State Senate District 22 |
TO: Clerks in Senate Districts: #22 (Wirch) Municipal clerks should contact military electors and send absentee ballots electronically if possible to provide enough time for military electors to receive, mark and return absentee ballots. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or via email at GABhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you.
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| G.A.B.’s Extended Hours of Operations before, during and after the August 9 and the August 16, 2011 Recall and Special Elections |
Extended Hours of Operations for the August 9, 2011 Recall and Special ElectionsStarting Monday, August 8, 2011, in addition to our regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), the G.A.B. is offering extended hours before, during and after the August 9, 2011 Recall and Special Elections so that your questions get answered about the new Voter Photo ID Law and your election-related needs get met We encourage you not to wait until Election Day to contact us to get your questions answered. Our extended hours, including our regular hours are:
Extended Hours of Operations for the August 16, 2011 Recall ElectionsStarting Monday, August 15, 2011, in addition to our regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), the G.A.B. is offering extended hours before, during and after the August 16, 2011 Recall Elections. Our extended hours, including our regular hours are:
We are staying open on Election Night on both August 9 and August 16 until 9:00 p.m. in order to be of service to you. You may call our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or email theHelp Desk at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov for assistance. Thank you! cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Photo ID Law Update #6 |
As we approach the August 9 and August 16 recall elections, local election officials should review the communication of July 14, 2011, “What We Learned from the Primaries,” which is available on the Board’s website: http://gab.wi.gov/node/1956, so as to avoid some of the mistakes made regarding the “soft implementation” of the Voter Photo ID Law. Since that communication, other issues have come to the Board’s attention that clerks should be aware of:
Thank you for your attention to this important information. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk: (608) 261-2028 or gabhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Election Defense Alliance Open Records Request Regarding Spring Election |
In May 2011, many municipal and county clerks received a public records request from Jonathan Simon on behalf of an organization called Election Defense Alliance. The correspondence requested copies of the memory devices and other records related to the April 5, 2011 Spring Election. Mr. Simon recently informed us that he considered all such requests to be withdrawn and he was under the impression that he had made that decision clear to all clerks. Attached is a letter from Mr. Simon confirming that Election Defense Alliance has withdrawn its public records requests, which he asked that we forward to all clerks. Please note that this communication does not apply to any similar public records request filed by John Washburn. If you have any additional questions regarding this matter, please contact the G.A.B. HelpDesk at (608) 261-2028. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Michael R. Haas |
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| G.A.B.’s Elections Division Staff Members in Mostly All-day Meeting Monday, Aug. 22 |
Dear Valued Clerk Customers/Partners, The G.A.B.’s Elections Division staff members will be holed up in a mostly all-day meeting on Monday, August 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 Noon, and again from 1:30-4:00 p.m. Please take this information into consideration for deciding if you need anything from us on Monday. Also, on Wednesday, August 24, several Elections Division staff members, led by Director Kennedy, will be attending the Wisconsin Municipal Clerk Association’s 31st Annual Conference that will be held in the Wisconsin Dells. As usual, in order for us to be of service to you, you may call our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or email theHelp Desk at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov for assistance. Thank you! cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| 2010 Census Secondary Language Requirements Data Delayed |
The Government Accountability Board has been informed by the U. S. Census Redistricting Data Office that the Secondary Language Requirements deadline for election related information may be delayed until late September or the first week of October of this year. Initially, we were informed that municipalities would be notified (if required) by mid-August. Background: Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 may require some municipalities to implement Secondary Language changes for voting purposes. The secondary languages most likely to be required would be either Spanish or Hmong. This information comes from the 2010 Census data. The official website for information about national redistricting information is http://www.census.gov/rdo/. A notice concerning this delay and updated information about when this data will be available may be found at this Census site. The notice to the public when this information is available will be made in the Federal Register. We will continue working with the U. S. Census Redistricting Data Office to provide additional information to Wisconsin municipalities especially those that will be impacted by the Secondary Language Requirements. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B helpdesk at (608) 261-2028 or GABHelpDesk@wi.gov. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein |
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| Voter Photo ID Law Clerk Advisory Committee Survey |
With the final summer recall a thing of the past, we have turned our full attention to determining methods, approaches and strategies for implementing the Voter Photo ID Law. In the communication posted on our website on May 26, 2011 titled, “State’s New Voter Photo ID Bill,” we said, “we will work closely with municipal and county clerks to make sure we (G.A.B., clerks and the voting public) are prepared to meet these new challenges and opportunities.” Also posted on the website is our comprehensive Voter Photo ID Law Implementation Strategy that details our staff work plan and team approach. Each work plan team welcomes clerk input at various points of the development process. In the past, similar committees have played a critical role in the development and implementation of policies to improve election administration. If you are interested in serving on a G.A.B. Voter Photo ID Law Clerk Advisory Committee, please click on the link below and fill out a short survey. Committee meetings will typically be conducted via teleconference; however, some may be convened in-person in our office in Madison. We ask that interested clerks complete this survey by Friday, September 2, 2011. Should you need assistance, please contact Allison Coakley at (608) 261-2033 or allison.coakley@wi.gov. Be assured that we will continue to seek your advice – and the advice of your clerk colleagues – on all other aspects of the Voter Photo ID Law. Your ideas and recommendations are encouraged and appreciated. As always, thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE VOTER ID LAW COMMITTEE SURVEY!
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Clerks No Longer Required to use SVRS Full Absentee Module for 2012 Elections |
Clerks in self-providing municipalities are not required to use the Full Absentee module to track their absentee electors for the 2012 spring and fall elections. Effective today, this requirement is lifted until further notice. Throughout this year, the G.A.B and local clerk election officials have been heavily involved in the statewide recount, summer recall elections, redistricting, and the implementation of the new voter ID law. These priorities prevented clerks in self-providing municipalities from receiving the appropriate training in the Full Absentee functionality as anticipated. Clerks in self-providing municipalities, therefore, are required only to continue to use the Absentee Lite module to track military and overseas absentee electors in SVRS. Non-military and overseas absentee electors can be tracked using any previous municipal clerk system or the Full Absentee module. New SVRS Application training classes, including Absentee Process training, will be conducted in January through March 2012. Locations will be scheduled based on the results of a training survey that will be distributed to all county and municipal clerks later this fall. Clerks are encouraged to take Absentee Process training and use the Full Absentee module for the 2012 spring and fall elections, but are not required to do so at this time. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2028. Questions may also be addressed to Allison Coakley, our training coordinator, at Allison.Coakley@wi.gov, or at (608) 261-2033. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy
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| GAB-362 SVRS Clerk Contact Information Update Form |
Please Submit Requested Information by Friday, June 28, 2013The Government Accountability Board needs your assistance in ensuring the clerk contact records we have in SVRS reflect our current municipal clerks and their contact information. Request: Please take a few moments and go to the Jurisdiction Record in SVRS to verify the contact records for the municipal clerks in your county. You may also use the “Directory of Wisconsin Clerks” posted at the following link: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/directory. If any of the information is incorrect, the municipal clerk needs to complete the GAB-362 SVRS Clerk Contact Information Update Form available on the G.A.B. website at the following link: http://gab.wi.gov/forms/gab-362. We ask that the municipal clerk mail, fax or email the GAB-362 SVRS Clerk Contact Information Update Form to the attention of the G.A.B. Helpdesk by email to GABHelpDesk@wi.gov, by mail to 212 E. Washington Ave, Third Floor, P.O.Box 7984, Madison, WI 53707-7984, or by fax to (608) 267-0500. It is important that G.A.B. updates the contact records directly into SVRS as this will then make the appropriate changes to the clerk training record maintained by the G.A.B. If the clerk contact records need to be updated, you will not be able to make any changes to the clerk training records as this can only be viewed by G.A.B. staff with state level SVRS access. Therefore, these changes must be made by G.A.B. staff. The G.A.B. will be providing friendly reminders, via our regular notifications, in order to maintain sufficient clerk contact information in SVRS. Please verify the municipal clerk contact records for your county and submit the GAB-362 SVRS Clerk Contact Information Update form to the G.A.B. by Friday, June 28, 2013. If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. HelpDesk at (608) 261-2028, or GABHelpdesk@wi.gov. As always, thank you for your effort and time in getting this information to us. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein |
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| Redistricting Project: Contact Information Requested for County GIS Data |
As you may know, we are in the process of retooling SVRS to use maps and GIS functionality instead of address ranges to manage districts in Wisconsin. As part of this process, we are importing maps into SVRS for the districts in your county. Many counties already have map layers for electoral districts in their County GIS systems. We would like to work with the appropriate person in your county to determine which map layers may be available to assist us in this process. To that end, we are requesting two things from you:
Please provide this information as soon as practical, but no later than by Friday, September 23, 2011, as this will help improve the data in SVRS, and will save clerks time in making corrections after the districts are imported.
If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov or (608) 261-2028. Thank you.
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy
Director and General Counsel
Government Accountability Board
Ross D. Hein
Elections Supervisor
Government Accountability Board |
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| Requirement for Municipal Clerks to be Available on Wednesday, April 4 and 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 6, 2012 (Good Friday) |
Municipal clerks and executive directors should take note of a new statutory requirement of 2011 Wisconsin Act 23 that will require clerks to be available to accept proof of residence, proof of identification, and driver’s license numbers between Wednesday, April 4 and Friday, April 6, 2012, including Good Friday, April 6, 2012, which is the third day after the Spring Election. Pursuant to Sections 6.97(3)(b), Wis. Stats., municipal clerks or executive directors having received notice from inspectors that provisional ballots were cast, must provide notice to the board of canvassers of each municipality, special purpose district, and county that is responsible for canvassing the election of the number of provisional ballots cast in each ward or election district. Electors having failed to provide proof of identification or a copy thereof bear the burden of correcting the omission by providing the proof of identification or copy thereof at the polling place before the closing hour or at the office of the municipal clerk no later than 4 p.m. on the Friday after the election. The G.A.B. presumes this elector correction procedure also applies to electors having failed to provide proof of residence or driver’s license number and having voted a provisional ballot as found in Secs. 6.97(1) and (2), Wis. Stats. Since the Legislature and Governor have provided electors the opportunity to correct these errors no later than 4 p.m. on the Friday after the election, clerks and executive directors must be available to receive such documentation between Wednesday, April 4 and Friday, April 6, 2012, until 4 p.m. on Good Friday, April 6, 2012. Clerks or executive directors normally having regular office hours on Fridays must remain open on Good Friday, April 6, 2012. Please take this into consideration when planning staffing for the Spring Election 2012. |
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| Watch US-EAC Live Webcast Sept. 20 on Contingency Planning in Elections |
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| Redistricting Update: System Requirements |
As you may know, we are in the process of retooling SVRS to use maps to manage districts instead of address ranges. G.A.B. staff are developing new web-based tools that clerks will be able to use to manage new district boundaries, and to put voters in the correct district combo. As with many new technologies, in order to take full advantage of the new features in SVRS, some clerks may need to upgrade their computer, and/or computer software. Computers that are more than a few years old may not have enough memory for the tools to run well. If you have an older version of your web browser, it may not support all functions. Some functions of the new system may work better on certain web browsers rather than others. It is important to note that you will only need to verify the software or hardware used by your office at this time if you plan on using the G.A.B. district management tool to manage your district boundaries after redistricting. (Note that Clerks will also have the option to maintain their district boundaries using their municipal or county GIS systems after redistricting.) If you have an older computer and/or software and plan to use the G.A.B.’s district management tool, please contact our Help Desk to identify which components may need to be upgraded. To ensure a fast, efficient response, G.A.B. has created a new website for Clerks to submit their questions to the Help Desk. Please do the following:
If you have an IT department that supports your computer, we recommend talking with them now regarding possible system upgrades. Checking your computer now gives you time to plan and budget for potential computer or software replacements. If you are in need of an upgrade, but do not get one, note that the some of the new features may run slowly, or may not be functional. The following are the minimum requirements for computers that will be used for district management:
If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov. or (608) 261-2028. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein Sarah Whitt |
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| Redistricting Update: New Informational Video for Clerks |
As you may know, starting in 2012, districts in SVRS will be managed using maps instead of address ranges. Clerks will no longer be required to update address ranges in SVRS. The G.A.B. technical team is pulling all of the new districts created by Redistricting into SVRS. Clerks should not update their address ranges with the new districts. Once the new maps have been loaded into SVRS, clerks will use the maps to manage their district boundaries instead of address ranges. Many clerks have asked questions about these new features and how they will work in SVRS. G.A.B. staff are very excited to announce that we have prepared a demonstration video for clerks to help explain these new changes. Please click on the following link to view the video: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/redistricting We hope this video is a helpful tool to help clerks visualize and understand the new changes to SVRS. G.A.B. staff will continue to use videos such as this as a way to communicate information to clerks. If you have questions on the video, or on the Redistricting project, please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2028. Thank you.
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein Sarah Whitt
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| Impact of Voter ID Legislation With Respect to Absentee Voters |
Voter Photo ID Law Status: No ID Currently Required for VotingTwo separate judges, on March 6 and March 12, 2012, have issued injunctions preventing the Government Accountability Board from enforcing photo ID requirements in 2011 Act 23. The Wisconsin Department of Justice has appealed those injunctions, and the appeals have been certified to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which on April 16 sent them back to the respective Courts of Appeals. The document below may contain information which is no longer accurate. Please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk if you have questions.
2011 Act 23 (the “Voter Photo ID Bill”) requires all voters, beginning with the 2012 February Primary, to prove their identity before casting a ballot. Although some form of proof of ID is required of most voters, certain types of absentee voters are either exempt from the Voter ID requirement or may utilize a substitute method in order to satisfy the requirement. In-person voters, whether at the polling place on Election Day or by absentee ballot in the clerk’s office, must provide acceptable voter ID each time they vote at the polling place or in person in the clerk’s office. A list of acceptable voter ID can be found on the Government Accountability Board’s website at this link: http://gab.wi.gov/publications/quick-reference/acceptable-photo-id. REMEMBER!! Revised forms are not to be used for any election occurring before January 1, 2012. OVERVIEW OF ABSENTEE VOTING RULESThe Overview of Absentee Voting Rules document (http://gab.wi.gov/publications/manuals/absentee-voting-overview) breaks down the various types of absentee voters and sets out the respective absentee voting and voter ID requirements for each type. Please pay close attention to all instructions for each type of absentee voter. REVISED ABSENTEE VOTING DOCUMENTSLinks to revised absentee voting forms are listed below, along with a brief summary of the changes to each. GAB-122 Certificate Envelope: (http://gab.wi.gov/forms/gab-122-2012) o Certificate envelopes sent to military voters away from their residence due to active duty contain the address side labeled GAB-122M away.
Uniform Instructions for Absentee Voters
Form Letters for Indefinitely-Confined Absentee Voters and “Regular” Absentee Voters: http://gab.wi.gov/publications/other/form-letters-absentee You may use these letters to apprise your absentee voters of the ID requirement as it pertains to individual situations. Voters who have applied for absentee ballots as indefinitely-confined electors receive the “Indefinitely-Confined Letter.” All other voters (except those who are exempt from the requirement --military, overseas or confidential voters) receive the “General Absentee Voter Letter.” A list of acceptable photo ID is appended to each letter as a second page so that the list may be copied to the back of each letter. Thank you. |
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| U.S. Census Bureau – 2011 Secondary Language Requirements Determination |
Pursuant to specifications in the Voting Rights Act as amended in July 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau released yesterday, Thursday October 13, 2011, a list of 248 jurisdictions across the nation that must provide language assistance during elections for groups who are unable to speak or understand English enough to participate in the electoral process. As part of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act municipalities selected will be required to provide election materials in the required language. The Census Bureau has reviewed the Data from the American Community Service following the 2010 Census and has determined that the only municipality to meet the Requirements of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is the City of Milwaukee. The City of Milwaukee will be required to provide election materials in Spanish for Hispanic voters. No other Town, Village or City was found to fall within the Section 203 requirements in Wisconsin. The complete list can be found at the Federal Register: http://www.federalregister.gov/ If you have questions, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2028. Questions may also be addressed to Steve Pickett, Elections Specialist, at Steve.Pickett@wi.gov, or at (608) 266-3061. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Director and General Counsel
Government Accountability Board
Ross D. Hein
Elections Supervisor
Government Accountability Board |
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| Appointment of Election Inspectors from Lists Submitted by Political Parties |
Appointment of Election Inspectors from Lists Submitted by Political Parties
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| Type A Notice of 2012 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote and Other Information |
This memo contains information about the Type A Notice of the 2012 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote, the notification of noncandidacy deadline, and write-in absentee ballots for the Spring Election. TYPE A NOTICE OF 2011 SPRING ELECTION AND PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE VOTE The enclosed Type A Notice of the Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote to be held on April 3, 2012, is the first indication that we are entering a presidential election year! Remember that the presidential preference vote is like a partisan primary in that the voter will be given the ballots of all the parties participating in the presidential preference, but may vote only on one ballot. Candidate names for the Presidential Preference will be certified no sooner than January 31, 2012 (the deadline for persons wishing to have their name placed on the Presidential Preference ballot to file a petition with the Government Accountability Board). In addition to Notification of the Presidential Preference Vote, the Type A Notice contains all judicial offices to be elected throughout the state. Please select the judicial offices that are up for election in your county, and add any county offices, multi-jurisdictional municipal judges and/or referenda. The combined Type A Notice of the 2012 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote must be published by all county clerks on November 22, 2011. Whenever a weekly newspaper is used for publication, the notices appear in the newspaper's closest preceding issue. Please send a copy of the Type A Notice to each municipal clerk. Municipal clerks are required to publish a Type A notice of municipal offices on the same date, November 22, 2011. Note: If a Circuit Court Judge resigns on or before December 1, 2011, that office will be up for election at the 2012 Spring Election. If a vacancy occurs during this period, we will contact the affected county clerks with an amended Type A Notice. If appointments are made in Dane County Branches 8 or 11 or in Racine County, Branch 5, an amended notice will be sent to those counties Note to Brown and Portage Counties: Judge McKay and Judge Fleishauer have submitted resignations that are not effective until December 1 and November 29, respectively. Therefore, until the effective date of their resignations, they remain the incumbent in their respective offices. After the resignation effective dates, the Type A Notice must be amended to reflect the vacancy. EXPLANATION OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE/SUPERVISOR TERM EXPIRATION DATES COUNTY EXECUTIVE For Milwaukee County, the expiration date of the term for the office of County Executive is May 6, 2012. County Executive in Milwaukee County takes office on the 1st Monday in May, which is May 7, 2012. For Milwaukee County, the expiration date of the term for the office of County Supervisor is April 15, 2012. County Supervisors in Milwaukee County take office on the 3rd Monday in April, which is April 16, 2012. The statutes do not definitely state when these terms officially end. They simply state when the term begins. If, due to your county's procedures, you are more comfortable with the expiration date of the term being the same as the date the new term begins, you may use that date. OFFICES TO BE ELECTED AT 2012 SPRING ELECTION Court of Appeals, District 1 - This office appears on the judicial ballot in the county of Milwaukee. Court of Appeals Judge, District 2 - This office appears on the judicial ballot in the counties of Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago. Court of Appeals Judge, District 3 – This office appears on the judicial ballot in the counties of Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, St. Croix, Sawyer, Shawano, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vilas and Washburn Counties. Court of Appeals Judge, District 4 - This office appears on the judicial ballot in the counties of Adams, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Portage, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood. Circuit Court Judge - This office appears on the judicial ballot in the counties of Ashland, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Clark, Dane, Door, Eau Claire, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Menominee, Milwaukee, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, St. Croix, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Please share this information with your municipal clerks.) State Referendum Questions – At this time, there are no state referendum questions for the April 3, 2012 Spring Election. However, the legislature currently has until February 21, 2012 (or January 24, 2012 if SB116 passes as presented to the Governor) to direct that a referendum question be placed on the ballot, so the possibility still looms. §8.37, Wis. Stats. We will monitor the activity of the legislature and keep you informed. Deadline for Notification of Noncandidacy (GAB-163) - The deadline for filing the notification of noncandidacy for the 2012 Spring Election is Friday, December 23, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. If your office is closed on that day due to the holiday, the deadline is at 5:00 p.m. on the next business day. This applies to state, county, municipal, and school district filing offices. Write-in Absentee Ballots for Military and Overseas Electors Note: If SB116 is signed by the Governor as presented, State Write-in Ballots will no longer have to be sent to military and overseas voters. At the writing of this memo, the bill has not been signed and there is a possibility this provision could be eliminated from the bill. We will keep you posted on the status of this provision. Until you hear otherwise, please proceed with mailing write-in ballots to your military and overseas voters. The following link provides access to the spring write-in ballots to be used for the Spring Primary and the Spring Election. The write-in ballots are located at the end of the ballot list; GAB-232 thru GAB-241. http://gab.wi.gov/forms/ballots Please provide these ballots or the website link to your municipal clerks, along with the Type A Notice.
Write-in absentee ballots are sent only to military and overseas electors who have filed a written request for an absentee ballot no later than 30 days before the election. For the February primary, write-in ballots are sent as soon as contests are known. Write-in ballots for the April Election are sent beginning 90 days before the April 3 election (January 4). Military absentee electors are entitled to vote for all offices up for election. Overseas electors are those who are permanently living overseas with no present intent to return to the United States. Overseas electors can vote for federal offices only and should be sent only the Presidential Preference write-in absentee ballot. If you have questions or comments regarding this memorandum, please contact the Help Desk at (608) 261-2028 or gabhelpdesk@wi.gov. Attachments: “Notice of Presidential Preference Vote and Judicial, County Executive and County Supervisor Election” (Type A Notice) |
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| New Public Information Brochures on Obtaining a Free State ID |
To assist municipal clerks in educating the public about the new Voter Photo ID Law and its major impacts, G.A.B. staff is creating public information election brochures to ensure uniform and consistent information is conveyed to all Wisconsin voters. The election brochures will clarify some of the major requirements and areas of the new Voter Photo ID Law, as well as address some of the frequently ask questions the public may have. Clerks can customize each brochure to include their municipal logo and contact information. Also, all brochures are printable in Word format from the G.A.B. website at http://gab.wi.gov/publications/brochures. They should be printed double-sided and tri-folded for distribution. A new election brochure is now available for clerks to print and distribute to their electors:
In the upcoming weeks, additional election brochures will be posted and made available for print. They will focus on voter registration, proof of residency, and absentee voting for the indefinitely confined and those in care facilities. As with any G.A.B. document produced, should there be additional changes required, for example by Legislative directive, revised versions will be provided as soon as possible. Please take this into consideration when determining how many brochures to print. If you would like G.A.B. staff to clarify any other requirements of the new Photo ID law in an election brochure, please contact Ross Hein, G.A.B. Election Supervisor, at (608) 267-366 or Ross.Hein@wisconsin.gov to discuss the matter. Thank you. CC: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein |
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| Redistricting Update #4: Important Details |
As you may know, starting in 2012, districts in SVRS will be managed using maps instead of address ranges. The G.A.B. technical team is finishing up the work in SVRS and we are preparing to make the new information and features available to clerks. There are several very important updates that clerks need to know to be prepared for Redistricting:
If you have questions on the video, or on the Redistricting project, please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2028. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein Sarah Whitt |
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| 2011-2012 Calendar of Election Events Available |
The Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) traditionally provides each year in November a consolidated calendar of election administration events for local election officials to use to plan for the coming year. Many of you have come to rely on this calendar as your definitive source for election information and deadlines. This year the calendar was delayed due to pending legislation that made significant changes to the fall election schedule, SB-116. At the time of this memo, this bill is on the Governor’s desk and is not yet signed. In anticipation of this law being signed, the staff has compiled the calendar with the various changes of SB-116 already incorporated. If SB-116 should not be signed as enrolled, the G.A.B. will produce a revised calendar. This year the staff has taken the additional step of providing the calendar in multiple formats including Adobe Acrobat, Word, and Excel for your convenience. Instructions are available at the G.A.B. website for importing the Excel spreadsheet into different versions of Microsoft Outlook’s Calendar. http://gab.wi.gov/publications/2011-2012-election-events-calendar You may call our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or email the Help Desk at GABHelpDesk@wi.gov if you have questions or need further assistance. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Redistricting Update #5: Municipal and Ward Boundaries |
The G.A.B. technical team is working hard preparing to implement the new legislative districts in SVRS on December 1. As clerks know, we are importing the new wards, aldermanic, county supervisory, State Assembly, State Senate, and Congressional districts from WISE-LR, the tool that the Legislature used to facilitate Redistricting, into SVRS. The districts in WISE-LR are based on census data and use census blocks as the building blocks for districts. Census Data Accuracy Some geographic information specialists and clerks have contacted G.A.B. with questions regarding anomalies between census data and the actual municipal boundaries and geography. According to the Census Bureau, the Census geographic data is accurate to approximately 50 meters. 50 meters can be enough for a house to potentially appear in the wrong district, so to address this, G.A.B. is allowing counties to provide us with wards from their county GIS systems that have been adjusted to reflect actual physical municipal boundaries and geography. Using County GIS Data The data from the county GIS systems tends to be highly accurate, and in some cases at a survey level of accuracy. So far, approximately 15 counties have provided us with adjusted wards. For those counties, we will use the adjusted wards instead of the census-based wards we receive from WISE-LR. Using the adjusted wards also ensures that all other districts that are built upon those wards (aldermanic, county supervisory, State Assembly, State Senate, and Congressional) will also follow the correct municipal boundaries. We will continue to implement corrected wards as counties are able to provide them to us. If we get corrected wards from a county after December 1, we will work with the impacted clerks so you know if your boundary lines will be changing. Correcting Exceptions For counties that were not able to provide us with adjusted wards from their county GIS systems, clerks may see some discrepancies with municipal boundaries in SVRS on December 1 when the new districts become available. G.A.B. is creating a special exception report specifically to identify any registered voters who appear in the incorrect municipality after we implement the new district maps. Clerks will be given instructions and training on how to correct any registered voters who are inadvertently placed in the wrong municipality. Future guidance will also provide instructions as to any new voter registration issues that may arise. Fixing Boundary Lines Starting after the Spring 2012 elections, in Phase II of the changes to SVRS, as part of the G.A.B. Redistricting Initiative, SVRS will have a boundary management tool that will allow clerks to correct inaccuracies in their boundary lines. For counties that were not able to provide corrections from their GIS system, they will be able to make those corrections in SVRS using the district management tool. If your county did provide us with corrected wards from your county GIS system, then corrections can continue to be made in the County system, and then imported into SVRS from the County system. If you have questions on the Redistricting project, please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2028. Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein Sarah Whitt Shane Falk |
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| Error Accessing Web Portal - Problem Fixed |
Error Accessing Web Portal - Problem Fixed
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| Wisconsin Act 75 Provisions and Mandates Changing the Partisan Primary and the Absentee Envelope |
Today, December 1, 2011, Wisconsin Act 75 became law. This legislation contains significant changes to election laws as well as changes to the election calendar. Most notably the “September Primary” has been renamed the “Partisan Primary,” and has been set for the second Tuesday in August, or August 14, 2012. Many of the changes relate to the requirements of the Federal M.O.V.E Act, but the legislation also contains provisions relating to the absentee voting process, polling place location designation and other election occurrences. Note that Act 75 also makes a change to the newly revised absentee envelope and one of the important provisions regarding emailing and faxing absentee ballots does not take effect until after the February 2012 Spring Primary. The information below summarizes these two important changes. Absentee Envelope ChangesAct 75 make changes to the absentee envelope that is provided to absentee electors. This will require a change to the current GAB-122. The certification side of the envelope remains the same; the mailer side of the envelope however, must now include the following statutory required language “Cast by an absentee elector under s.7.515, Wis. Stats., and may be eligible to be counted after election day.” This provision in Act 75 requires that all absentee electors’ ballots may be counted after Election Day if received by 4 p.m. on the Friday following the election and postmarked no later than Election Day. The new version of the envelope can be found at http://gab.wi.gov/node/2079 (nonmilitary and overseas) or http://gab.wi.gov/forms/gab-122m-notaway (military). If you have not ordered new absentee envelope yet, please make sure you are using the updated absentee certificate and mailer. Clerks may have already printed absentee envelope. These envelopes need to be updated to contain the statutory language in Act 75. There are several options below for clerks to ensure their absentee envelopes are in compliance with Act 75. 1. For those who have printing accounts with Bear Graphics, G.A.B. staff has been in contact with them and they have provided some options. Any municipality or county that ordered envelopes from Bear Graphics may pursue one of the following options to make those purchased envelopes compliant:
2. Clerks who do NOT have printing accounts with Bear Graphics may make other arrangements with their printer. 3. Clerk may use a stamp which contains the required verbiage. 4. Clerks may request that the G.A.B. ship labels to them to affix to the absentee envelope. Clerks may contact the G.A.B. at GABabsLabels@wi.gov to request labels. Please include the number of labels needed and the shipping address in your request. Requests must be received by later than Friday, December 16, 2012. Emailing and Faxing Absentee Ballots2011 Wisconsin Act 75 requires the electronic transmission (fax or email) of absentee ballots to military and permanently overseas voters who request to receive ballots electronically. In addition, Act 75 prohibits the electronic transmission of absentee ballots to voters who are not military or permanently overeas. Other Election Administration ChangesAn initial analysis of the known changes to election administration is attached. G.A.B. staff are in the process of comprehensively reviewing all the provisions of Wisconsin Act 75. The information provided with this memo will be updated as soon as staffs’ analysis is completed. If you have questions regarding Wisconsin Act 75, please contact our Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or gabhelpdesk@wi.gov. Thank you.
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Michael Haas |
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| Training Survey -- 2012 Election Cycle |
As we prepare for the 2012 election cycle, and in an effort to maximize our resources and better serve our clerk-partners, we are surveying county and municipal clerks to determine the need for Baseline Chief Inspector and Municipal Clerk Core training classes. If you, your staff or your new chief inspectors need training, please complete and submit the online survey linked below by Friday, December 16, 2011. Both types of training classes will be conducted during the next several months using a combination of certified clerk-trainers composed of experienced county and municipal clerks and online live classes taught by Board staff. We will also have few classes available in our Madison office. Clerks should check the G.A.B. website frequently for new classes:
Baseline CIT and MCT Core classes are primarily for new chief inspectors or new municipal clerks. Some clerk-trainers allow currently-certified chief inspectors and/or currently-certified municipal clerks to take their course. Retraining with a clerk-trainer may be counted for recertification hours once per 2-year term. Please read the “Notes” section on the registration form to determine who may take the class for training credit. All county and municipal clerks are still able to conduct recertification training with their local election officials once they have their training agenda approved by our agency. Clerks are also welcome to contact the clerk-trainers listed on the G.A.B. website to inquire about future training opportunities. Several clerk-trainers have scheduled training sessions in this month (December). In some situations, a clerk-trainer may will available to conduct training in your area, based on the training range they have identified. Travel expenses may be requested by the clerk-trainer and are the responsibility of the host municipality and/or county. The G.A.B. will furnish training manuals for the classes. We would appreciate county clerks sharing this survey with their municipal clerks without email. Thank you for your continued cooperation. If you have questions, please contact Allison Coakley, Elections Division Training Officer at allison.coakley@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2033. Take the Baseline Chief Inspector/Municipal Clerk Core training survey!Or click: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22DUQPJY4DK/ cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Allison Coakley |
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| Friendly Reminder: Request Regarding Estimated Costs of a 2012 Statewide Recall Election |
If you have already responded,
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| Redistricting in SVRS Resources for Clerks |
We have received inquiries from clerks asking whether all clerks may attend the live SVRS Redistricting Training Webinars. Due to limited space on the live interactive broadcasts, the scheduled webinars have been limited to SVRS users. If your municipality uses SVRS, at least one SVRS User must attend a webinar or view the recording, even if your municipality had no district changes. However, in response to the demand for information for all clerks, the G.A.B. will provide an alternative to the live SVRS webinars. All interested clerks can view a demonstration video that we have prepared to help explain these new changes. Please click on the following link to view the video: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/redistricting In addition, Clerks may also view a three-part video recording of the SVRS Redistricting Training Webinar: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/redistricting/training We hope these videos are helpful tools to help clerks visualize and understand the new changes to SVRS. G.A.B. staff will continue to use videos such as this as a way to communicate information to clerks. If you have questions on the Redistricting project, please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk at gabhelpdesk@wi.gov, or (608) 261-2028. Thank you.
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein Sarah Whitt |
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| SVRS Training Survey -- 2012 Election Cycle **Still Open** |
As we prepare for the 2012 election cycle, and in an effort to maximize our resources and better serve our clerk-partners, we are surveying county and municipal clerks to determine the need for SVRS beginning and advanced training early next year. Due to a number of staff work priorities, including redistricting, changes to the SVRS system, and the possibility of a statewide recall, SVRS training will be limited in January through March. If needed, training classes will be scheduled in a maximum of two – three locations and will be focused on clerks new to SVRS. Additional training will be scheduled based on the results of this survey and will be conducted after the April election. Please complete and submit the following survey. Thank you for your continued cooperation. If you need assistance, please contact Allison Coakley at allison.coakley@wi.gov or (608) 261-2033. Click here to take the SVRS training survey!
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Allison Coakley
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| 2011 Election Administration Achievements |
On behalf of members of the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) and our Elections Division staff, Nat Robinson and I wish you good health and prosperity during 2012! G.A.B. members asked that we share their heartfelt appreciation for your dedication and commitment that significantly contributed to our shared success throughout 2011, a year like no other in the state’s electoral history. In addition, Nat and I want to thank you for your patience, professionalism and positive attitude that you maintained during this game-changing year that provided challenges and opportunities. Whether it was a recount, recalls or having to deal with the most sweeping change in election administration since this state’s 1848 statehood -- Voter Photo ID -- you stepped-up to the plate and achieved success. You deserve our praise and gratitude. Thank you! As we continue to plan and prepare for a more robust 2012 that will likely bring even more challenges and opportunities, we are confident your demonstrated commitment, dedication and success will serve as an inspiration and continue to be an exemplary model to the nation and the world on how this country’s most decentralized electoral system does it, and gets it right! Attached for your information is a list of staff indentified top 10 2011 election administration successes that we can all be proud of. Of course, there were lots more, but we decided to edit the longer list down to 10. We plan to make this list available to the public in the form of a news release probably the second week of January, so you are encouraged to share your suggestions with us. As the prayer of every election official goes, may the margin of victories for all the 2012 elections be large and wide. From our staff to you and yours, we wish you a successful 2012! cc: Members, Government Accountability Board
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| Changes to the Duration of Military and Overseas Electors’ Absentee Ballot Requests |
Wisconsin 2011 Act 75 made changes to the duration of military and overseas electors’ absentee ballot requests. A military elector may no longer receive absentee ballots permanently. Instead a military elector may request absentee ballots for all elections only within the calendar year in which the request was made. In addition, overseas electors’ absentee applications are no longer valid for all elections within two successive general election cycles. Now, overseas absentee ballot requests are good only for the calendar year in which the request was made. Military and overseas electors may request ballots for a shorter time frame, for example one or more elections during a calendar year, but their requests for absentee ballots are not valid for longer than the calendar year. 2012 ImplementationCurrently, valid military absentee requests should be treated as valid requests through the end of 2012. After 2012, Military electors will have to reapply to receive absentee ballots for elections beginning in 2013. All new military absentee requests will only be valid for the calendar year in which they were made. Clerks should include the attached letter or similarly worded correspondence, and an absentee ballot application (GAB-121) in the absentee ballot to Summary:1. Current military electors must continue to receive absentee ballots through 2012, even if Clerks may customized and use the attached letter to inform their overseas electors of this change. Clerks should include the attached letter or similarly worded correspondence and an absentee ballot application (GAB-121) in the absentee ballot to overseas electors for the August 2012 Partisan Primary and the November 2012 General Election to inform them of the change. Frequently Asked QuestionsDo I need to notify my military electors of this new “1-year” application requirement? Yes. Please send the attached letter or similarly worded correspondence with all military electors’ absentee ballots in the partisan primary and general election in 2012. Are Overseas applications still good for the next two general elections? No. The duration of absentee ballot request for overseas electors has changed also. An overseas elector’s absentee application is valid for all elections within the calendar year in which the request was made. An overseas elector may request ballots for a shorter time frame, for example one or more elections during a calendar year, but their requests for absentee ballots are not valid for longer than the calendar year. If a military voter doesn’t return a ballot in April, do I have to send ballots in August and November? Yes. A military elector must continue to receive absentee ballot throughout the calendar year in which the request was made. They cannot be removed from the absentee list for failing to return a ballot. The only reason a clerk may remove a military elector from the absentee list within the year of the request is if the elector is no longer in the military, no longer resides in the municipality, or the elector asks not to receive any more absentee ballots. Must I track my military electors in SVRS for all elections or just general elections? All military electors’ absentee ballots must be tracked in SVRS for all elections. Clerks who rely on the county or another municipality to use SVRS on their behalf must be in communication regarding their military electors. Clerks must track when an absentee ballot was sent, how it was sent, and when it was returned. Overseas electors must be tracked for all elections with a federal contest on the ballot. If I cancel my military (or overseas) absentee, does that automatically remove the “Military” notation from the voter record in SVRS? No. Cancelling a military or overseas absentee application in SVRS does NOT automatically remove the “Military” or “Overseas” notation from their voter record. Clerks must open the voter record of the elector and remove the “Military” or “Overseas” notation separately. |
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| Ballot Order for Primary and Election -- THIS IS NOT A CERTIFICATION! |
The Board will not formally certify candidates until its meeting on January 12, 2012. However, no changes in the ballot order documents is expected. The exception is the challenge referenced below.* *CHALLENGE Primary Ballots will be posted by tomorrow. If you have questions, please contact me. |
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| Municipal Special Registration Deputies Who register voters during open registration ** term of SRD corrected ** |
Update - term of SRD corrected below Wis. Stat. § 6.28(2) requires public high schools to be used for voter registration to provide an additional registration option for enrolled students and members of the high school staff during regular school hours. Public high schools must have at least one qualified elector of the state in each high school trained and appointed as a Special Registration Deputy (SRD) for the purpose of registering electors in Wisconsin during periods of open voter registration. Municipal clerks are required to train and appoint at least one SRD in each high school in each school district in which the municipality is located. AppointmentThe municipal clerk is required to notify the school board of each school district in his or her municipality that each high school will be used for the registration of qualified high school students and school district staff. The school board and the municipal clerk should agree on the appointment of at least one qualified elector of the state at each high school to serve as a SRD. The municipal clerk will train and appoint the SRD. The Government Accountability Board has a training packet available for clerks to use for training SRDs. For school districts that cross multiple municipal boundaries, one clerk may provide the initial SRD training and additional clerks may accept the training in lieu of conducting his or her own training. Each municipal clerk, however, must have the SRD complete an application (GAB-158), administer the oath of office (GAB-156), and issue a certificate (GAB-159) that lists the SRD’s term of office and unique SRD number. Municipal SRD RequirementsA SRD must be a qualified elector of Wisconsin. The SRD does not have to be from your municipality. For SRDs other than those in the high school(s), the clerk “may” appoint additional SRDs for the municipality as they deem necessary for registration purposes. However, if you refuse to train and appoint a person who has requested appointment as a SRD for your municipality, the elector may file a complaint with the G.A.B. alleging that an election official of that jurisdiction has violated the law or abused the official’s discretion with respect to the appointment of Special Registration Deputies for his or her municipality. The following fact sheet will provide you with a summary of the Special Registration Deputy Law:
If you have any questions about municipal-level SRDs, please contact Training Officer Allison Coakley: allison.coakley@wi.gov or (608) 261-2033. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Redistricting Anomalies—Municipal and Ward Boundaries |
IntroductionIt is critical to have the most accurate municipal and voting district boundary lines possible in SVRS, in order to assure voters are assigned to correct districts, avoid voter and election official confusion, and to have a manageable workflow for clerks during this redistricting process. Through the conversations we have had with local election officials, as well as state and local geographic information specialists, municipal and ward boundaries anomalies have been brought to our attention that directly impact the G.A.B. Redistricting Initiative. This Memorandum identifies these anomalies, provides some examples and a detailed analysis, and provides guidance to help reduce the consequential impact of the anomalies. If you discover that your jurisdiction is affected by these anomalies and you have not already contacted the G.A.B., please be sure to immediately raise it to the attention of Elections Supervisor, Ross Hein. In preparation to implement the voting districts established after the 2010 Federal Decennial Census in SVRS for the December 1, 2012 release, some geographic information specialists and clerks had contacted the G.A.B. with questions regarding municipal and ward boundaries anomalies resulting from differences between Census data and actual municipal and ward boundaries. On November 18, 2011 and in light of these known anomalies, the G.A.B. provided all clerks with “Redistricting Update #5: Municipal and Ward Boundaries,” which addressed these issues. Approximately 20 counties have now taken advantage of the G.A.B.’s direction and coordinated the loading of their more accurate municipal and ward boundaries from their county GIS systems into SVRS. This resulted in a dramatic reduction of exceptions that had to be corrected by the municipalities within those involved counties. This Memorandum provides a more detailed explanation of the anomalies and reaffirm G.A.B.’s direction from November 18, 2011 regarding the use of county GIS municipal and ward boundaries in SVRS to minimize exceptions requiring further action by clerks. Please read the entire memoradum attached above. |
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| List of Reported Multi-Jurisdiction Judge and School District Primaries |
Below is a list of the multi-jurisdictional and school district primaries. If you have a primary for either of these two offices in your municipality, please check that those offices in your municipality show up on the list below. The easiest way to do this is to check in SVRS. Please verify the contests and candidates are correct in the 2012 Spring Primary for each school district contest and multi-jurisdictional judge contest. Multi-Jurisdictional Judge Primary Races• LAKE COUNTRY MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL JUDGE School District Primary Races
• BRIGHTON SCHOOL BOARD If any contest or candidate is not correct, or if you have a primary for a multi-jurisdictional or a school district and it is not displayed in SVRS, please contact Election Specialist, Aaron Patrick Frailing, via email at Aaron.Frailing@wi.gov, or at (608) 267-7891. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
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| Redistricting Phase 2 in SVRS begins Tuesday, January 10th |
Redistricting in SVRS began on December 5th, with clerks checking that the new districts were correct,
If you have questions on the Redistricting project, we have set up a special incident tracker at
cc: Kevin J. Kennedy Ross D. Hein Sarah Whitt |
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| Redistricting Update #8: Preparing for the February Primary |
As you know, G.A.B. staff and county and municipal clerks have been working feverishly to prepare for the February 2012 Spring Primary. I would like to take a moment to commend Wisconsin’s county and municipal clerks for their diligence and their patience during these difficult times. We all acknowledge that there is a lot of work to do related to redistricting, in very short period of time. G.A.B. staff are committed to continuing to work in partnership with Wisconsin’s clerks to resolve outstanding issues and help get the work done. That being said, we all understand that there is a finite amount of time between now and the February primary, and a limited number of staff available to work on Redistricting. This is true for both your local offices and for us. With that in mind, we have some suggestions to help you prioritize the redistricting work that needs to be done in order to be ready for the February Primary. We also want to be prepared for Election Day in the event that not all of the clean-up is complete. This is a possibility that we all need to be prepared for. Here are some recommendations:
Again, I would like to thank our clerk partners for all of your efforts during Redistricting. Please continue to report incidents on our Incident website, http://wisapps.wi.gov/sites/GAB/Incident/default.aspx. Thanks. cc: Ross Hein |
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| Ineligible Voter List for the February 21, 2012 Spring Primary |
The Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.), Elections Division is providing an Ineligible Voter List only to the municipalities that will conduct a February 21, 2012 Spring Primary. If you do not have a Spring Primary please read the “Special Note” below announcing that starting with the April 3, 2012 Presidential Preference and Spring Election, an online version of Ineligible Voter Lists will replace the printed versions that we currently distribute. Municipalities conducting a Spring Primary will be sent the following:
Please distribute the printed lists and instructions to your municipalities for preparing poll books and verifying voter information at the polling place on February 21, 2012, Spring Primary Election Day. Clerks with questions should contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at (608) 261-2028, or GABHelpDesk@wi.gov. Thank you.
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| Wisconsin Act 23, the Voter Photo ID Law SVRS Features Installed / All SVRS Users Request Your Immediate Attention |
SVRS (version 8.1) was installed on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The SVRS now contains features required by Wisconsin Act 23, the Voter Photo ID Law.
If you need further information, please contact the G.A.B. Help Desk at 608-261-2028 or GABHelpDesk@wi.gov. Thank you. |
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| Certification of Nomination in Ballot Order for April 3, 2012 Presidential Preference Vote - Presidential Only Ballots |
On January 3, 2012 the Presidential Preference Selection Committee met to select candidates for the Presidential Preference Vote. Eight candidates were initially selected (1 Democrat and 7 Republicans). As permitted by law, one Republican candidate filed a disclaimer with the Government Accountability Board by January 31, 2012, to withdraw his name from the Presidential Preference Ballot. The Certificate of Nomination for Presidential Preference Vote, in ballot order, is included with this memorandum. Note: The party order is Republican first, followed by Democratic. Important Reminders About the April 3, 2012 Presidential Preference VoteReporting Units for the April 3 Spring Election May Not Cross Congressional District Lines.The Government Accountability Board is required to report the results of the Presidential Preference Vote by congressional district. Therefore, because the 2012 Spring Election is conducted in conjunction with the Presidential Preference Vote, reporting units for this election may not cross congressional districts. For example, if ward 1 is in congressional district X, and ward 2 is in congressional district Y, wards 1 and 2 may not be combined; wards 1 and 2 must be reported separately. Please keep this in mind when preparing ballots and setting up your election for the April 3, 2012 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote. Presidential Preference Absentee Ballots for Military and Overseas VotersMunicipal clerks are required to send a Presidential Preference Absentee Ballot to Military and Overseas Voters (who have a request on file) 47 days before the April 3 election (February 15, 2012). This is not a write-in ballot. It is an official ballot listing only the office of President. If the request is made after February 15, the ballot must be sent within one day of the request. A sample Presidential Preference Vote ballot for this purpose (GAB-204) is located at http://gab.wi.gov/forms/ballots. County Clerks must prepare this ballot and deliver it to the municipal clerks no later than February 14, 2012.A paper, hand-count ballot is fine for this purpose. However, if you would rather make the Presidential Preference Only ballot an optical scan-style ballot so that your equipment can be programmed to read it, you may do so. Per Act 75, there is no longer a state-write in absentee ballot. The functionality to issue a Presidential Preference ballot in SVRS is the same as it was to issue a state-wide write in absentee ballot. If you have questions, please refer to the SVRS manual. When the official Spring Election and Presidential Preference Ballots are prepared, municipal clerk will send military voters, who were previously sent a Presidential Preference Only ballot, an official ballot. Overseas voters can only vote for national office. Therefore, they do not receive a second ballot. Presidential preference only ballots may either be remade by two election inspectors to be counted by electronic voting equipment or may be hand-counted on Election Day, if the official spring election ballot has not been received. If you have any questions concerning this memorandum, please contact the Customer Service Center at 608-261-2028 or gab@wi.gov. Thank you. cc: Kevin Kennedy Nathaniel E. Robinson Ross Hein |
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| Poll Books, Trifold Mailing and Other Redistricting Updates |
Please note that this memo covers several important SVRS updates.
If you have a question, please make sure you check the FAQs posted on the G.A.B. redistricting page. Many common questions and helpful suggestions are covered. This and other redistricting information is available at: http://gab.wi.gov/clerks/redistricting. If you have questions on the Redistricting project, please continue to use the incident tracker as requested in the training documents. If you need to contact the Help Desk, the email address is gabhelpdesk@wi.gov Thank you. cc: Kevin J. Kennedy |
Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | 212 East Washington Avenue, Third Floor P.O. Box 7984 | Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7984