Creation of a Wisconsin election campaign fund, making appropriations, and providing penalties

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill authorizes each individual filing a state income tax return who has a tax liability or is owed a refund to designate that $1 of general purpose revenue be transferred to an election campaign fund administered by the Government Accountability Board (GAB) and the state treasurer. Under the bill, any candidate for a partisan state office, except district attorney, who receives at least 6 percent of the total vote cast on all ballots for the office the candidate seeks at the September primary and whose name is certified as a candidate in the general election is eligible to receive a grant from the fund to finance campaign expenses. The bill places the names of independent candidates on the September primary ballot in order to permit these candidates to qualify to receive grants. However, as under current law, a voter who votes for a party candidate for any office is not permitted to vote for any candidates not representing that party, but including independent candidates. The independent candidates continue to appear on the general election ballot regardless of the number of votes they receive at the primary. A candidate for state superintendent of public instruction or justice of the supreme court who is nominated at the primary may also qualify to receive grants. In addition, a candidate for a state office at a special partisan election may qualify to receive a grant if he or she represents a party whose candidate for the same office at the most recent general election received at least 6 percent of the total vote cast for the office or if he or she actually receives at least 6 percent of the total vote cast for the office at the special election. A candidate whose name appears on the ballot at a special election for the office of state superintendent may also qualify.

The moneys in the fund are apportioned as follows: 1) in those years in which there is an election for supreme court justice, candidates for that office may receive 8 percent of the money in the fund which is divided equally among them; 2) in those years in which there is an election for state superintendent, candidates for that office may receive 8 percent of the money in the fund which is divided equally between them; 3) the remainder is apportioned among the candidates for partisan state executive offices, who may receive 25 percent of the remaining money in the fund, and candidates for legislative office, who may receive 75 of the remaining money in the fund. The fund is further apportioned among candidates for the executive offices according to a specified formula. All eligible candidates for the same office may receive equal grants. If a candidate for an office does not accept a grant, the amount for which the candidate could have qualified is potentially payable to any opposing candidates for the same office who accept grants. To complete his or her qualification, a candidate must receive contributions of money from individuals during a specified period in amounts of $100 or less cumulatively from each individual. For a candidate for a statewide office or any candidate at a special election, the contributions must equal at least 5 percent of the candidate's statutory disbursement (expenditure) level. For other candidates, the contributions must equal at least 10 percent of the candidate's statutory disbursement level. A candidate for an office who accepts a grant must agree to abide by the statutory disbursement level unless the candidate is opposed by a candidate whose name appears on the ballot and who receives at least 6 percent of the total vote for the same office at the primary if a primary was held and that candidate does not accept a grant or does not abide by the statutory disbursement level. As under current law, a candidate who does not accept a grant is not bound by any disbursement level, but such a candidate may voluntarily agree to abide by the disbursement level by filing an affidavit with GAB affirming that intention.

Who's behind it

22 lawmakers are its authors⁠. All 22 are Democrats.

7 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

What it would cost

State agencies filed a cost estimate. Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

• Fiscal Estimate From DOA
• Fiscal Estimate From DOR
• Fiscal Estimate From GAB
• Fiscal Estimate From TREAS