Wisconsin Senate Bill SB304

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 6/2/25
• Refer: 6/2/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 6.86 (1) (b) and 10.01 (2) (e) of the statutes; Relating to: hours for voting by absentee ballot in person at the office of the municipal clerk or an alternate site. (FE)

Summary

SB304 would change Wisconsin election law governing in-person absentee voting at a municipal clerk’s office or an authorized alternate site. Under current law, voters may begin in-person absentee voting 14 days before an election and continue through the Sunday before the election, with municipalities required to publish the hours in the Type E election notice. The bill would require the clerk’s office or alternate site to be open for at least 20 hours during that in-person absentee voting period, and it would require the notice to list the specific office hours during which a voter may cast an absentee ballot without a prior appointment. The bill also amends the Type E notice requirements to ensure voters are informed of the qualifications for absentee voting, the procedures for registered and unregistered voters, the locations and deadlines for applications and returns, and the specific hours available for walk-in in-person absentee voting. In practical terms, the measure standardizes and expands the minimum availability of in-person absentee voting opportunities and makes the notice requirements more detailed and explicit for voters.

Impact

SB304 would amend sections 6.86 (1) (b) and 10.01 (2) (e) of the Wisconsin statutes. Its effect would be to impose a statewide minimum of 20 office hours for in-person absentee voting at municipal clerk offices or alternate sites during the absentee voting window, and to require municipalities to disclose those hours in election notices. This would affect municipal clerks, local election administrators, and voters seeking to cast absentee ballots in person, while potentially increasing administrative obligations and local operating costs for municipalities.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript discussion or recorded votes, so there is no detailed public debate captured here. The bill’s introduction and cosponsorship suggest support from its authors and allied legislators, but the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. Based on the text alone, the measure appears to be framed as a voter-access and notice-clarity proposal rather than a controversial structural change, though its failure indicates it did not secure sufficient legislative support.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the mandate that municipalities keep clerk offices or alternate sites open for at least 20 hours for in-person absentee voting, which could be viewed as improving access by some lawmakers and as an unfunded or burdensome local requirement by others. Another likely issue is the added specificity in election notices, which may be seen as beneficial transparency or as an administrative burden. Because there are no committee transcripts or votes provided, the exact objections or supporters cannot be identified from the record.