Wis. Stat. § 5.25 — WI Code / Chapter 5 / Section 5.25
Polling places.
Status: in_force

(1) All elections under chs. 5 to 12 shall be held at the polling places provided in this section. The places chosen shall be public buildings, unless the use of a public building for this purpose is impracticable or the use of a nonpublic building better serves the needs of the electorate, as determined by the authority charged with the responsibility for establishing polling places under sub. (2) .

(2) In cities over 500,000 population, polling shall be at the places established by the board of election commissioners. In all other cities and in villages and towns, polling shall be at the places established by the governing body.

(3)

(a) Polling places shall be established for each election at least 30 days before the election. Subject to par. (b) , no polling place so established in a municipality may be closed to voters on election day unless the majority of the members-elect, as defined in s. 66.10015 (1) (bs) , of the governing body of the municipality makes a finding of emergency, both the majority of the members-elect of the governing body of the municipality and the municipal clerk approve the closure, and the municipal clerk does all of the following:

1. Posts public notice of the closure on the municipality’s website or, if the municipality does not maintain a website, posts notices in at least 3 different locations within the municipality reasonably calculated to notify the most residents.

2. Publishes a class 3 notice under ch. 985 notifying the public of the closure.

3. Publishes a class 2 or class 1 notice under ch. 985 notifying the public of the closure if time does not permit publication of a class 3 notice.

4. Designates a proper person who shall be stationed at or as near as possible to the closed location to notify all electors of the closure and of their new polling location.

5. In a municipality establishing one polling place only, establishes a new polling location approved by the majority of the members-elect of the governing body and the municipal clerk.

(b) Under no circumstance may a municipality close more than one-half of its polling places within 30 days before an election, except as provided in par. (a) 5.

(c) After an election and more than 30 days before the next election, the location of a polling place in a municipality may not be discontinued without the approval of the municipality’s governing body after a public hearing at which the public has an opportunity to present testimony on the proposed discontinuation.

(d) Nothing in this subsection alters the authority of the election inspectors to adjourn to another location for voting on election day under s. 7.37 (1) .

(4)

(a) Each polling place shall be accessible to all individuals with disabilities. The commission 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) .

(b) In any jurisdiction that is subject to the requirement under 42 USC 1973aa-1a to provide voting materials in any language other than English, the commission shall ensure that the voting system used at each polling place in that jurisdiction is in compliance with 42 USC 1973aa-1a .

(d) No later than June 30 of each odd-numbered year, the commission shall submit a report on impediments to voting faced by elderly and handicapped individuals to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) . In preparing its report under this paragraph, the commission shall consult with appropriate advocacy groups representing the elderly and handicapped populations.

(5)

(a) Except as authorized in par. (b) , all electors within a ward shall vote at the same polling place.

(b) The municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of a municipality in which an elderly or handicapped elector resides may reassign the elector to a polling place within the municipality other than the polling place serving the elector’s residence in order to permit the elector to utilize a polling place that is accessible to elderly or handicapped individuals.

(c) The electors of more than one ward in the same municipality may vote at a single polling place.

History: 1975 c. 275 ; 1977 c. 427 ; 1979 c. 89 ; 1983 a. 532 ; 1985 a. 304 , 332 ; 1987 a. 391 ; 1989 a. 192 ; 1999 a. 182 ; 2003 a. 265 ; 2011 a. 75 ; 2015 a. 118 s. 266 (10) ; 2023 a. 124 .