AB 753

Currently, a qualified elector may register to vote at any election by mail, in

person at the office of the municipal or county clerk or board of election

commissioners for the municipality or county where the elector resides, or by

completing a registration form with a special registration deputy no later than the

20th day before the election. A qualified elector may also register to vote at an

election in person at the office of the municipal clerk or board of election

commissioners for the municipality where the elector resides no later than 5 p.m. on

the Friday before the election. In order to register, an elector must provide his or her

name and address and certain other information required to ascertain his or her

eligibility and must sign the form. With certain exceptions, an elector who registers

after the 20th day before an election or an elector who registers by mail and who has

not voted before in an election in this state must provide proof of residence prior to

voting. Currently, the clerk or board of election commissioners must verify each

registration received by mail or submitted by a special registration deputy by

sending a first-class letter or postcard to the registrant at the registrant's address.

This bill permits a qualified elector who has a current and valid driver's license

or identification card issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to register

to vote at an election electronically on a secure Internet site maintained by the

Government Accountability Board (GAB). The bill requires an electronic

registration to be completed no later than the 20th day before an election in order to

be valid for that election. Under the bill, a qualified elector enters the same

information that appears on the current registration form and authorizes DOT to

forward a copy of his or her electronic signature to GAB. The authorization affirms

that all information provided by the elector is correct and has the same effect as if

the elector signed the form personally. The bill also permits an elector who is

currently registered to vote and who has a current and valid driver's license or

identification card to electronically enter a change of name or address using a similar

procedure. In accordance with the existing procedure for verifying registrations that

are not received at the office of the municipal clerk or board of election

commissioners, the bill provides that when an electronic registration is received,

GAB or the clerk or board of election commissioners of the elector's municipality of

residence must verify each electronic registration by sending a first-class letter or

postcard to the registrant at the registrant's address. Except as otherwise permitted

under the bill, if the registrant is voting for the first time in an election in this state,

the registrant must provide proof of residence before voting in the election. The bill

creates one exception which provides that, if an elector who registers electronically

provides his or her Wisconsin driver's license number, together with his or her name

and date of birth, and GAB is able to verify the information electronically at the time

of registration by electronically accessing DOT's records, the elector need not provide

proof of residence prior to voting. The bill directs GAB and DOT to enter into an