Wis. Stat. § 8.20 — WI Code / Chapter 8 / Section 8.20
Nomination of independent candidates.
Status: in_force

(1) Independent nominations may be made for any office to be voted for at any general or partisan special election.

(2)

(a) Nomination is by nomination papers. Each nomination paper shall have substantially the following words printed at the top:

(b) Each candidate shall include his or her mailing address on the candidate’s nomination papers.

(c) In the case of candidates for the offices of president and vice president, the nomination papers shall contain both candidates’ names; the office for which each is nominated; the residence and post-office address of each; and the party or principles they represent, if any, in 5 words or less. In the case of candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, the nomination papers shall contain both candidates’ names or the name of a candidate for either office; the office for which each candidate is nominated; the residence and post-office address of each candidate; and the party or principles each candidate represents, if any, in 5 words or less.

(d) Nomination papers for president and vice president shall list one candidate for presidential elector from each congressional district and 2 candidates for presidential elector from the state at large who will vote for the candidates for president and vice president, if elected.

(3) The certification of a qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) who is a qualified elector of this state shall be appended to each nomination paper, except that for candidates for the offices of president and vice president, the certification of the qualified circulator under s. 8.15 (4) (a) shall state that the circulator is a qualified elector of this state, or if not a qualified elector of this state, is a U.S. citizen aged 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03 .

(4) The number of required signatures on nomination papers for independent candidates shall be the same as the number specified in s. 8.15 (6) . For independent presidential electors intending to vote for the same candidates for president and vice president, the number of required signatures shall be not less than 2,000 nor more than 4,000 electors.

(5) Only one signature per person for the same office is valid. In addition to his or her signature, in order for the signature to be valid, each signer shall legibly print his or her name in a space provided next to his or her signature and shall list his or her municipality of residence for voting purposes, the street and number, if any, on which the signer resides, and the date of signing. Signers of each nomination paper shall reside in the same jurisdiction or district which the candidate named therein will represent, if elected.

(6) Nomination papers shall be accompanied by a declaration of candidacy under s. 8.21 . 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 under s. 19.43 (4) no later than 4:30 p.m. on the 3rd day following the last day for filing nomination papers under sub. (8) (a) , or no later than 4:30 p.m. on the next business day after the last day whenever that candidate is granted an extension of time for filing nomination papers under sub. (8) (a) .

(7) Nomination papers shall be filed in the office of the commission for all state offices and the offices of U.S. senator and representative in congress, and in the office of county clerk or board of election commissioners for all county offices.

(8)

(a) Nomination papers for independent candidates for any office to be voted upon at a general election, except president, vice president and presidential elector, may be circulated no sooner than April 15 preceding the election and may be filed no later than 5 p.m. on the June 1 preceding the partisan primary, except as authorized in this paragraph. If an incumbent fails to file nomination papers and a declaration of candidacy by 5 p.m. on June 1 preceding the partisan primary, all candidates for the office held by the incumbent, other than the incumbent, may file nomination papers no later than 72 hours after the latest time prescribed in this paragraph. No extension of the time for filing nomination papers applies if the incumbent files written notification with the filing officer or agency with whom nomination papers are filed for the office which the incumbent holds, no later than 5 p.m. on the 2nd Friday preceding the latest time prescribed in this paragraph for filing nomination papers, that the incumbent is not a candidate for reelection to his or her office, and the incumbent does not file nomination papers for that office within the time prescribed in this paragraph.

(ae) If, under par. (a) , an incumbent holding local office files written notification that the incumbent is not a candidate for reelection to his or her office or fails to file a declaration of candidacy within the time prescribed in par. (a) , the officer or body with whom the declaration of candidacy is required to be filed shall promptly provide public notice of that fact on the officer’s or body’s Internet site or, if the officer or body does not maintain an Internet site, by posting notices in at least 3 different locations within the jurisdiction that the officer or body serves.

(am) Nomination papers for independent candidates for president and vice president, and the presidential electors designated to represent them, may be circulated no sooner than July 1 and may be filed not later than 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday in August preceding a presidential election.

(b) Nomination papers for independent candidates for any office to be voted upon at a partisan special election shall be circulated and filed as provided in s. 8.50 (3) (a) .

(9) Persons nominated by nomination papers without a recognized political party designation shall be placed on the official ballot at the general election and at any partisan election to the right or below the recognized political party candidates in their own column or row designated “Independent”. If the candidate’s name already appears under a recognized political party it may not be listed on the independent ballot, column or row.

(10) If a candidate submits nomination papers with more than the maximum number of required signatures prescribed under sub. (4) , but the filing official determines that the maximum number of required signatures does not result in a sufficient number of valid signatures, the filing official shall review the additional signatures to the extent necessary to determine whether the candidate has collected a sufficient number of valid signatures.

History: 1971 c. 242 , 304 ; 1973 c. 334 s. 57 ; 1975 c. 369 ; 1977 c. 107 , 287 , 427 ; 1979 c. 249 , 260 ; 1981 c. 377 ; 1983 a. 29 , 484 ; 1985 a. 304 ; 1987 a. 391 ; 1993 a. 140 , 266 ; 1999 a. 6 , 32 , 182 , 186 ; 2001 a. 109 ; 2005 a. 451 ; 2007 a. 1 ; 2011 a. 32 , 75 ; 2013 a. 160 ; 2015 a. 117 , 118 ; 2017 a. 366 ; 2021 a. 33 ; 2023 a. 125 ; 2025 a. 126 .