Assembly Bill 288
Authorizing electors to vote in the primary of more than one political party
Stopped in committee
It never got a , 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 22, 2015
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 13, 2016: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Presently, a voter in a partisan primary election may cast a ballot or vote in the column of only one major political party, regardless of the number of candidates who are running for office in that party, if any. Similarly, a voter in a partisan primary may vote for any of the independent candidates for state office, but if the voter chooses this option, he or she may not vote for any party candidates for any office.
(Candidates of minor parties appear on the ballot as independent candidates.)
Read the full summary Show less
This bill permits a voter in a partisan primary to "split tickets," designating the candidate of his or her choice for each office, including the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, regardless of party affiliation. The bill also allows a voter to vote for independent candidates for one or more state offices in a partisan primary, in addition to party candidates for one or more state or county offices. Under the bill, a voter may still vote for only one candidate for each office. The voting procedure at the general election and other partisan elections is unaffected by the bill. The bill initially applies to voting at the 2016 partisan primary election.
Who's behind it
6 lawmakers are its . All 6 are Democrats.
4 more lawmakers .
See all 10 names Hide the names
Authors (6)
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Robb Kahl · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Josh Zepnick · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (4)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Janis Ringhand · Democrat, Senate
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
What happened
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Apr 13, 2016
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 2, 2016
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Jul 22, 2015
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
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Jul 22, 2015
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jul 22, 2015 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Kahl, Hesselbein, Sargent, Zepnick, Considine and Ohnstad; cosponsored by Senators Carpenter, Risser and Ringhand
- Jul 22, 2015 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections
- Feb 2, 2016 · Assembly
Representative Spreitzer added as a coauthor
- Apr 13, 2016 · Assembly
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
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