SB 640

This bill makes various changes in laws relating to elections and voting.

Significant provisions include:

Voter registration

Currently, with the exception of individuals who are defined as "military

electors" under state law and new or former residents voting for president and vice

president, all eligible electors of this state must register in order to vote in an election

in this state. The registration period for each election ends on the 20th day before

that election, but an eligible elector may register to vote in an election after that date

at the office of the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners of the

municipality where he or she resides or at the polling place serving his or her

residence by providing specified proof of residence. In order to register, an individual

must provide his or her name, residence location, citizenship, date of birth, age, and

the number of a valid Wisconsin driver's license or the last four digits of his or her

social security number. An individual must also affirm that he or she: 1) has resided

in his or her ward (or municipality if not divided into wards) for at least ten days; 2)

has not been convicted of a felony for which he or she has not been pardoned and has

not completed his or her sentence; 3) is not disqualified on any other ground from

voting; and 4) is not registered to vote at any other location. The burden is on the

elector to initiate registration and, if the elector's name, address, or eligibility

changes, to initiate any change in registration required to maintain a valid

registration.

This bill makes it the responsibility of the Government Accountability Board

(GAB) to use all feasible means to facilitate the registration of all eligible electors of

this state who are subject to a registration requirement and the maintenance of the

registration of all eligible electors for so long as they remain eligible, except as the

law specifically requires electors to take some action to confirm or continue their

registrations. Under the bill, GAB must attempt to facilitate the initial registration

of all eligible electors in accordance with the bill's requirements and procedures no

later than July 1, 2015. To assist with its responsibility, the bill directs GAB and the

Department of Transportation to enter into an agreement for the purpose of

transferring specified personally identifiable information in DOT's records to GAB.

The bill requires GAB to maintain the confidentiality of any information that GAB

obtains under the agreement. Under the bill, once GAB obtains all the information

required under current law to complete an elector's registration, GAB adds the

elector's name to the statewide registration list. GAB does not notify the elector of

the addition, but the information is accessible on the Internet. No registration of an

elector that is added to the list by GAB is valid until the elector confirms with GAB,

on a form prescribed by GAB, that all the information pertaining to his or her

registration is correct and accurate as of the date of the confirmation. The bill

permits an elector to confirm a registration by any of the following means: 1) by