Senate Bill 240
Restoring the right to vote to certain persons barred from voting as a result of a felony conviction and changing the information required on voter registration forms
Topics: Corrections, Department of, Crime and criminals: Felony, Elections: Registration, Government Accountability Board, Parole or probation, Sentences and penalties, State Courts, Director of
Stopped in committee
It had a but no committee vote, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Jul 21, 2009
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It sat with the Senate Committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, when a person is barred from voting as the result of a felony conviction (a "disqualifying offense"), the person's right to vote may be restored through a pardon. Otherwise, it is restored upon completion of the sentence, including extended supervision or parole, or completion of the term of probation imposed on the person who committed the offense.
Under this bill, a person loses his or her right to vote based on a disqualifying offense only while he or she is incarcerated for that offense. A person released to extended supervision or parole may resume voting. In addition, a person convicted of a disqualifying offense and on probation retains the right to vote while on probation unless he or she is confined as a condition of probation. But if a person who committed a disqualifying offense is returned to prison after the revocation of extended supervision or parole or is sent to prison or a jail or house of correction after the revocation of probation, the person loses the right to vote until he or she is released.
Read the full summary Show less
Currently, an applicant for voter registration must affirm 1) whether he or she has been convicted of a felony for which he or she has not been pardoned and, if so, whether the applicant is incarcerated or on parole, probation, or extended supervision; and 2) whether the applicant is disqualified on any other ground from voting.
This bill deletes the requirement that an applicant provide any information relating to a felony conviction but retains the requirement that an applicant affirm that he or she is not disqualified on any ground from voting.
This bill also requires the Department of Corrections (DOC), the Government Accountability Board, and the Director of State Courts to include in their ongoing training programs a discussion of the changes in law produced by this bill and to offer the training to judges, attorneys, election officials, employees of DOC, and the public.
Who's behind it
4 senators are its . All 4 are Democrats.
16 more lawmakers .
See all 20 names Hide the names
Authors (4)
- Spencer Coggs · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Miller · Democrat, Senate
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (16)
- Annette Williams · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Spencer Black · Democrat, Assembly
- Jason Fields · Democrat, Assembly
- Tamara Grigsby · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Hilgenberg · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Joe Parisi · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Marlin Schneider · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Barbara Toles · Democrat, Assembly
- Robert Turner · Democrat, Assembly
- Leon Young · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 28, 2010
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Oct 13, 2009
The committee held a public hearing.
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Sep 28, 2009
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Aug 13, 2009
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jul 21, 2009
Sent to the Senate Committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs.
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Jul 21, 2009
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jul 21, 2009 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Taylor, Miller, Coggs and Risser;Cosponsored by Representatives Grigsby, Schneider, Parisi, Young, Pasch, Roys, Hilgenberg, Black, Pocan, Turner, Fields, Kessler, Berceau, A. Williams, Toles and Sinicki
- Jul 21, 2009 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs
- Aug 13, 2009 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Sep 28, 2009 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Oct 13, 2009 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Apr 28, 2010 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate