Wis. Stat. § 7.15 — WI Code / Chapter 7 / Section 7.15
Municipal clerks.
Status: in_force

(1) Supervise registration and elections. Each municipal clerk has charge and supervision of elections and registration in the municipality. The clerk shall perform the following duties and any others which may be necessary to properly conduct elections or registration:

(a) Equip polling places.

(b) Provide for the purchase and maintenance of election equipment.

(c) Prepare ballots for municipal elections, and distribute ballots and provide other supplies for conducting all elections. The municipal clerk shall deliver the ballots to the polling places before the polls open.

(cm) Prepare official absentee ballots for delivery to electors requesting them, and except as provided in this paragraph, send an official absentee ballot to each elector who has requested a ballot by mail, and to each military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) , and overseas elector who has requested a ballot by mail, electronic mail, or facsimile transmission, no later than the 47th day before each partisan primary and general election and no later than the 21st day before each other primary and election if the request is made before that day; otherwise, the municipal clerk shall send or transmit an official absentee ballot within one business day of the time the elector’s request for such a ballot is received. The clerk shall send or transmit an absentee ballot for the presidential preference primary to each military elector and overseas elector who has requested that ballot no later than the 47th day before the presidential preference primary if the request is made before that day, or, if the request is not made before that day, within one business day of the time the request is received. For purposes of this paragraph, “business day” means any day from Monday to Friday, not including a legal holiday under s. 995.20 .

(d) Prepare the necessary notices and publications in connection with the conduct of elections or registrations.

(e) Train election officials in their duties, calling them together whenever advisable, advise them of changes in laws, rules and procedures affecting the performance of their duties, and administer examinations as authorized under s. 7.30 (2) (c) . The training shall conform with the requirements prescribed in rules promulgated by the commission under ss. 7.31 and 7.315 . The clerk shall assure that officials who serve at polling places where an electronic voting system is used are familiar with the system and competent to instruct electors in its proper use. The clerk shall inspect systematically and thoroughly the conduct of elections in the municipality so that elections are honestly, efficiently and uniformly conducted.

(f) Discharge election officials for improper conduct or willful neglect of duties.

(g) In the manner prescribed by the commission, report suspected election frauds, irregularities, or violations of which the clerk has knowledge to the district attorney for the county where the suspected activity occurs and to the commission. The commission shall annually report the information obtained under this paragraph to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) .

(h) Review, examine and certify the sufficiency and validity of petitions and nomination papers.

(i) Direct how and when to destroy the contents of the blank ballot boxes and unused election materials.

(j) Send an absentee ballot automatically to each elector and send or transmit an absentee ballot to each military elector, as defined in s. 6.34 (1) , and each overseas elector making an authorized request therefor in accordance with s. 6.22 (4) , 6.24 (4) , or 6.86 (2) or (2m) .

(k) Reassign inspectors appointed to serve at one polling place to another polling place within the municipality whenever necessary to assure adequate staffing at all polling places. No such reassignment may have the effect of eliminating representation at a polling place by one of the political parties entitled to nominate inspectors under s. 7.30 (2) (a) .

(1m) Attend training. Each municipal clerk shall, at least once every 2 years during the period beginning on January 1 of each even-numbered year and ending on December 31 of the following year, attend a training program sponsored by the commission under ss. 7.31 and 7.315 .

(2) Municipal election duties.

(a) In municipal elections, the municipal clerks shall perform the duties prescribed for county clerks by s. 7.10 .

(b) Cities over 500,000 population may prepare their own official and sample ballots. Official ballots not utilized as absentee ballots shall be printed so they are ready at least 2 days before the election.

(c) With the consent of the county clerk, municipalities may prepare their own ballots whenever voting machines or electronic voting systems are used in elections where candidates for both local offices and national, state or county offices appear on the ballot. This paragraph does not apply to cities under par. (b) .

(d) Whenever the governing body of any municipality submits any question to a vote of the electors or whenever a proper recall petition and certificate are filed under s. 9.10 , the municipal clerk shall issue a call for the election and prepare and distribute ballots as required in the authorization of submission or as provided in s. 9.10 . The date of the referendum shall be fixed by the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners unless otherwise provided by law or unless the governing body fixes a date. The ballot for any referendum shall conform to s. 5.64 (2) . If there is already an official municipal referendum ballot for the election, the question may appear on the same ballot.

(2m) Operation of alternate absentee ballot site. In a municipality in which the governing body has elected to establish an alternate absentee ballot site under s. 6.855 , the municipal clerk shall operate such site as though it were his or her office for absentee ballot purposes and shall ensure that such site is adequately staffed.

(3) Ballot supply; sample ballots.

(a) Where voting machines are used or where electronic voting systems are employed, the municipal clerk shall provide at least 2 duplicate sample ballots for each ward in diagram form showing the board or screen inside each voting machine or the front of each ballot as it will appear in the voting machines or booths on election day.

(b) Sample ballots and voting machine ballots shall be furnished to the officials in the ward or election district at least one day before each election.

(4) Recording electors. Except as authorized in s. 6.33 (5) (a) , within 30 days after each election, the municipal clerk shall enter on the registration list under the name of each elector of the municipality who has voted at the election an indication of the date of the election in which the elector voted.

(5) Record of ballots received. Each municipal clerk shall keep a record of when and in what condition the packages containing the ballots were received from the county clerk. The municipal clerk shall deliver to the proper officials the unopened packages of ballots the day before the election.

(6) Substitute ballots.

(a) The municipal clerk shall provide substitute paper ballots in substantially the form of the original ballots whenever the necessary original ballots are not delivered to the municipality, are destroyed, are lost or stolen after delivery, are not ready for distribution or the supply is exhausted during polling hours. The municipal clerk may also provide substitute paper ballots, together with ballot boxes and voting booths, whenever a voting machine or electronic voting system is rendered inoperable by a malfunction which occurs within 24 hours of the time set for opening of the polls. Paper ballots may be cast only in accordance with the procedures prescribed in ss. 6.80 (2) and 7.37 (4) .

(b) Upon receiving the substitute paper ballots accompanied by a statement made under oath by the municipal clerk that the ballots have been prepared and furnished by the clerk to replace the original ballots which are not available, or to substitute for a voting machine or electronic voting system which has been rendered inoperable by a malfunction which occurred within 72 hours of the time set for opening of the polls, the election officials shall use the substitute ballots in the same manner as if they had been original ballots.

(7) Request canvass assistance. The municipal clerk may request all election officials to assist the inspectors in canvassing the votes received at the respective polling places.

(8) Resolving notice doubts. When in doubt as to compliance with the statutory requirements for election notices or the correct fees to be paid for them, the municipal clerk may consult the commission.

(9) Voter education. Each municipal clerk shall assist the commission in conducting educational programs under s. 5.05 (12) to inform electors about the voting process.

(10) Free election information exchange. Each municipal clerk shall assist the commission in maintaining toll-free telephone lines and any other free access systems under s. 5.05 (13) for exchange of voting information.

(11) Training of election officials. Each municipal clerk shall train election officials under ss. 7.31 and 7.315 .

(12) Free vote counting information. Each municipal clerk shall maintain a free access information system under which an elector who votes under s. 6.96 or 6.97 may ascertain current information concerning whether the elector’s vote has been counted, and if the vote will not be counted, the reason that it will not be counted.

(13) Information to commission. Each municipal clerk shall provide to the commission any information requested under s. 5.05 (14) .

(14) Voting accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Each municipal clerk shall make reasonable efforts to comply with requests for voting accommodations made by individuals with disabilities whenever feasible.

(15) Provide notice of outstanding provisional ballots. As soon as possible after the closing hour for all polling places in the municipality on election night, the municipal clerk shall post at his or her office and on the Internet at a site announced by the clerk before the polls open, and shall make available to any person upon request, a statement of the number of electors who have cast provisional ballots at the election in the municipality that cannot be counted as of that closing hour because the electors have not satisfied relevant voting requirements.

History: 1971 c. 304 s. 29 (2) ; 1973 c. 334 s. 57 ; 1975 c. 85 ss. 50 , 65 ; 1975 c. 275 , 422 ; 1977 c. 283 ; 1977 c. 394 s. 54 ; 1977 c. 427 , 447 ; 1979 c. 260 , 311 ; 1981 c. 391 ; 1983 a. 484 ; 1985 a. 304 ; 1987 a. 391 ; 1989 a. 192 ; 1991 a. 316 ; 1999 a. 182 ; 2001 a. 16 ; 2003 a. 265 ; 2005 a. 451 ; 2007 a. 1 ; 2011 a. 23 , 45 , 75 , 115 ; 2013 a. 148 ; 2015 a. 118 ss. 88 , 266 (10) ; 2015 a. 209 , 229 ; 2017 a. 369 ; 2023 a. 54 .