Wis. Stat. § 8.50 — WI Code / Chapter 8 / Section 8.50
Special elections.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise provided, this section applies to filling vacancies in the U.S. senate and house of representatives, executive state offices except the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and district attorney, judicial and legislative state offices, county, city, village, and town offices, and the offices of municipal judge and member of the board of school directors in school districts organized under ch. 119 . State legislative offices may be filled in anticipation of the occurrence of a vacancy whenever authorized in sub. (4) (e) . No special election may be held after February 1 preceding the spring election unless it is held on the same day as the spring election, nor after August 1 preceding the general election unless it is held on the same day as the general election, until the day after that election. If the special election is held on the day of the general election, the primary for the special election, if any, shall be held on the day of the partisan primary. If the special election is held on the day of the spring election, the primary for the special election, if any, shall be held on the day of the spring primary.

(1) Special election order and notices.

(a) When there is to be a special election, the special election for county office shall be ordered by the county board of supervisors except as provided in s. 17.21 (5) ; the special election for city office shall be ordered by the common council; the special election for village office shall be ordered by the board of trustees; the special election for town office shall be ordered by the town board of supervisors; the special election for school board member in a school district organized under ch. 119 shall be ordered by the school board; the special election for municipal judge shall be ordered by the governing body of the municipality, except in 1st class cities, or if the judge is elected under s. 755.01 (4) jointly by the governing bodies of all municipalities served by the judge; and all other special elections shall be ordered by the governor. When the governor or attorney general issues the order, it shall be filed and recorded in the office of the commission. When the county board of supervisors issues the order, it shall be filed and recorded in the office of the county clerk. When the county executive issues the order, it shall be filed in the office of the county board of election commissioners. When the common council issues the order, it shall be filed in the office of the city clerk. When the board of trustees issues the order, it shall be filed in the office of the village clerk. When the town board of supervisors issues the order, it shall be filed in the office of the town clerk. When the school board of a school district organized under ch. 119 issues the order, it shall be filed and recorded in the office of the city board of election commissioners. If a municipal judge is elected under s. 755.01 (4) , the order shall be filed in the office of the county clerk or board of election commissioners of the county having the largest portion of the population of the jurisdiction served by the judge.

(b) Notice of any special election shall be given upon the filing of the order under par. (a) by publication in a newspaper under ch. 985 . If the special election concerns a national or state office, the commission shall give notice as soon as possible to the county clerks. Upon receipt of notice from the commission, or when the special election is for a county office or a municipal judgeship under s. 755.01 (4) , the county clerk shall give notice as soon as possible to the municipal clerks of all municipalities in which electors are eligible to vote in the election and publish one type A notice for all offices to be voted upon within the county as provided in s. 10.06 (2) (n) . If the special election is for a city, village, or town office, the municipal clerk shall publish one type A notice as provided under s. 10.06 (3) (f) .

(c) The order and notice shall specify the office to be filled, the expiration date of the remaining term of office, the date of the election, the earliest date for circulating and deadline for filing nomination papers, the area involved in the election, the name of the incumbent before the vacancy occurred and a description of how the vacancy occurred, or for an election held under sub. (4) (e) , the name of the incumbent and a description of how and when the vacancy is expected to occur. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the notice shall include the information specified in s. 10.01 (2) (a) .

(d) When the election concerns a national office or a special election for state office is held concurrently with the general election, the commission shall transmit to each county clerk a certified list of all persons for whom nomination papers have been filed in its office at least 62 days before the special primary, and in other cases the commission shall transmit the list to each county clerk at least 22 days before the special primary. If no primary is required, the list shall be transmitted at least 42 days prior to the day of the special election unless the special election concerns a national office or is held concurrently with the general election, in which case the list shall be transmitted at least 62 days prior to the day of the special election. Immediately upon receipt of the certified list, the county clerk shall prepare his or her ballots. For a county special election, the county clerk shall certify the candidates and prepare the ballots. If there is a primary, the county clerk shall publish one type B notice in a newspaper under ch. 10 . When a primary is held, as soon as possible after the primary, the county clerk shall certify the candidates and prepare the ballots for the following special election. The clerk shall publish one type B notice in a newspaper under ch. 10 for the election.

(2) Date of special election.

(a) The date for the special election shall be not less than 62 nor more than 77 days from the date of the order except when the special election is held to fill a vacancy in a national office or the special election is held on the day of the general election or spring election. If a special election is held concurrently with the spring election, the special election may be ordered not earlier than 92 days prior to the spring primary and not later than 49 days prior to that primary. If a special election is held concurrently with the general election or a special election is held to fill a national office, the special election may be ordered not earlier than 122 days prior to the partisan primary or special primary, respectively, and not later than 92 days prior to that primary.

(b) If a primary is required, the primary shall be on the day 4 weeks before the day of the special election except when the special election is held on the same day as the general election the special primary shall be held on the same day as the partisan primary or if the special election is held concurrently with the spring election, the primary shall be held concurrently with the spring primary, and except when the special election is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of an odd-numbered year, the primary shall be held on the 2nd Tuesday of August in that year.

(3) Nomination, primary and canvass.

(a) Nomination papers may be circulated no sooner than the day the order for the special election is filed and shall be filed not later than 5 p.m. 28 days before the day that the special primary will or would be held, if required, except when a special election is held concurrently with the spring election or general election, the deadline for filing nomination papers shall be specified in the order and the date shall be no earlier than the date provided in s. 8.10 (2) (a) or 8.15 (1) , respectively, and no later than 35 days prior to the date of the spring primary or no later than June 1 preceding the partisan primary. Nomination papers may be filed in the manner specified in s. 8.10 , 8.15 , or 8.20 . Each candidate shall file a declaration of candidacy in the manner provided in s. 8.21 no later than the latest time provided in the order for filing nomination papers. If a candidate for state or local office has not filed a registration statement under s. 11.0202 (1) (a) at the time he or she files nomination papers, the candidate shall file the statement with the papers. A candidate for state office shall also file a statement of economic interests with the ethics commission no later than the end of the 3rd day following the last day for filing nomination papers specified in the order.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the provisions for the partisan primary under s. 8.15 are applicable to all partisan primaries held under this section, and the provisions for spring primaries under s. 8.10 are applicable to all nonpartisan primaries held under this section. In a special partisan primary or election, the order of the parties on the ballot shall be the same as provided under s. 5.62 (1) or 5.64 (1) (b) . No primary is required for a nonpartisan election in which not more than 2 candidates for an office appear on the ballot or for a partisan election in which not more than one candidate for an office appears on the ballot of each recognized political party. In every special election except a special election for nonpartisan state office where no candidate is certified to appear on the ballot, a space for write-in votes shall be provided on the ballot, regardless of whether a special primary is held.

(c) Notwithstanding ss. 5.37 (4) , 5.91 (6) and 6.80 (2) (f) , whenever a special partisan primary is held concurrently with the presidential preference primary, an elector may choose the party column or ballot in which the elector will cast his or her vote separately for each of the 2 primaries. Whenever 2 or more special partisan primaries or one or more special partisan primaries and a partisan primary are held concurrently, the procedure prescribed in ss. 5.37 (4) , 5.91 (6) and 6.80 (2) (f) applies.

(d) The requirements for nominations and special primaries under this section apply to the filling of any office for which a municipal caucus is regularly used to nominate candidates.

(e) In a special election for a state or national office, the county clerk or board of election commissioners shall transmit the statement of the county board of canvassers to the elections commission no later than 7 days after the special primary and 13 days after the special election.

(4) Regulations on special elections.

(b) A vacancy in the office of U.S. senator or representative in congress occurring prior to the 2nd Tuesday in April in the year of the general election shall be filled at a special primary and election. A vacancy in that office occurring between the 2nd Tuesday in April and the 2nd Tuesday in May in the year of the general election shall be filled at the partisan primary and general election.

(c) A vacancy in the office of secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general or state superintendent, occurring more than 6 months before the expiration of the current term, may be filled at a special election.

(d) Any vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the assembly occurring before the 2nd Tuesday in May in the year in which a regular election is held to fill that seat shall be filled as promptly as possible by special election. However, any vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the assembly occurring after the close of the last regular floorperiod of the legislature held during his or her term shall be filled only if a special session or extraordinary floorperiod of the legislature is called or a veto review period is scheduled during the remainder of the term. The special election to fill the vacancy shall be ordered, if possible, so the new member may participate in the special session or floorperiod.

(e) Whenever a member of the legislature is elected to another office after the commencement of his or her term, and the term of the new office or the period during which the legislator is eligible to assume that office commences prior to the end of the legislator’s original term of office, the governor may call a special election to fill the seat of the member in anticipation of a vacancy, upon receipt of a written resignation from that member which is effective on a date not later than the date of the proposed special election.

(f)

1. Except as provided in subds. 2. and 3. , a vacancy in the office of justice, court of appeals judge or circuit judge occurring in any year after the date of the spring election and on or before December 1 shall be filled, if in the office of circuit judge, at the succeeding spring election; if in the office of court of appeals judge, at the first succeeding spring election when no other court of appeals judge is to be elected from the same court of appeals district; or, if in the office of justice, at the first succeeding spring election when no other justice is to be elected. A vacancy in the office of justice, court of appeals judge or circuit judge occurring after December 1 and on or before the date of the succeeding spring election shall be filled, if in the office of circuit judge, at the 2nd succeeding spring election; if in the office of court of appeals judge, at the first spring election, beginning with the 2nd succeeding spring election, when no other court of appeals judge is to be elected from the same court of appeals district; or, if in the office of justice, at the first spring election, beginning with the 2nd succeeding spring election, when no other justice is to be elected.

2. If a vacancy in the office of justice, court of appeals judge or circuit judge occurs after December 1 and on or before the date of the succeeding spring election as the result of the resignation of the incumbent, if an election for that seat is scheduled to be held at the succeeding spring election and if the incumbent is not a candidate to succeed himself or herself, the vacancy shall be filled at the regularly scheduled election.

3. If a vacancy in the office of justice, court of appeals judge or circuit judge occurs after the date of the spring election for that seat and before the succeeding August 1 as the result of the resignation of the incumbent and the incumbent is not elected to succeed himself or herself, the vacancy shall be filled by the individual who was elected at the regularly scheduled election. If no individual is elected at the regularly scheduled election or if the individual who is elected dies or declines to serve, the vacancy shall be filled under subd. 1.

4. All vacancies filled under subds. 1. and 2. are for a full term commencing on August 1 succeeding the spring election at which they are filled.

(fm) A permanent vacancy in the office of municipal judge may be filled by temporary appointment of the municipal governing body, or, if the judge is elected under s. 755.01 (4) , jointly by the governing bodies of all municipalities served by the judge. The office shall then be permanently filled by special election. A person so elected shall serve for the residue of the unexpired term.

(g) If through neglect or failure, an elected officer who should have been chosen at the spring or general election is not chosen at that election, a special election may be held to fill the vacancy; but no special election may be held for any school or county officer after the time when the officer’s term would have commenced had such person been elected at the proper spring or general election, except as authorized under this section, and no election may be held to fill a vacancy in the office of justice or judge except as authorized in par. (f) .

(h) Whenever the right to office of any person who is elected to the legislature or the U.S. senate or house of representatives ceases before the commencement of the term of office to which he or she is elected, a special election shall be held to fill the vacancy.

(i) When the governor so directs, a special election shall be held to fill any vacancy not provided for in this section. This paragraph does not apply to judicial offices.

(5) Campaign finance laws. All laws and rules promulgated under ch. 11 governing campaign finance and reporting, including all deadlines for filing reports and statements, are applicable to special elections, except as otherwise specifically provided.

History: 1971 c. 1 , 40 ; 1973 c. 334 ss. 22 , 57 ; 1973 c. 336 ; 1975 c. 80 , 93 , 199 , 369 ; 1977 c. 26 , 107 , 187 , 340 , 427 , 445 , 447 , 449 ; 1979 c. 27 , 32 , 260 , 311 ; 1983 a. 484 ; 1985 a. 304 ; 1987 a. 391 ; 1989 a. 31 , 359 ; 1993 a. 184 ; 1995 a. 16 s. 2 ; 1999 a. 182 ; 2005 a. 248 ; 2007 a. 1 ; 2011 a. 32 , 75 ; 2015 a. 117 ; 2015 a. 118 ss. 104 to 106 , 266 (10) ; 2017 a. 366 ; 2019 a. 164 .