Voter registration; proving residence for registration and voting purposes; reviewing certain expenditures of the Government Accountability Board by the Joint Committee on Finance; and granting rule-making authority. (FE)

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, 2021. To assist with its responsibility, the bill directs GAB and the Department of Transportation (DOT) 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 and allows a driver's license or identification card applicant to "opt out" of DOT's transfer of this information to GAB. 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. The information then becomes accessible on the Internet. The bill also permits an individual whose name is added to the registration list by GAB or who wishes to permanently exclude his or her name from the list to file a request to have his or her name deleted or excluded from the list or to revoke a deletion or exclusion request previously made. A deletion or exclusion request or revocation of a deletion or exclusion request may be made in the manner prescribed by GAB. In addition, the bill directs GAB to notify an individual by first class postcard whenever GAB removes his or her name from the registration list or changes his or her status on the list from eligible to ineligible, other than by request of the elector, except when GAB removes a duplicate entry from the list or changes the name of a deceased person from eligible to ineligible status.

In addition, the bill permits a qualified elector who has a current and valid driver's license or identification card issued by DOT to register to vote at an election electronically on a secure Internet site maintained by 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 agreement that permits GAB to verify the necessary information instantly by accessing DOT's electronic files.

Currently, each municipal clerk and board of election commissioners must maintain a file of voter registration forms for the electors of the municipality. This bill provides that the clerk or board must maintain registrations that are entered electronically in the manner prescribed by GAB, by rule.

The changes with respect to electronic registration first apply with respect to registration for voting at the first spring or partisan primary election that follows the day on which the bill becomes law by at least six months.

Currently, with certain exceptions, if an elector registers to vote by mail and has not voted in an election in this state, the elector must provide proof of residence prior to voting. This bill extends this requirement to apply to an elector whose registration is initiated by GAB but who has not voted in an election in this state. The bill also provides that if such an elector provides his or her Wisconsin driver's license number or the last four digits of his or her social security number, together with his or her name and date of birth, and GAB is able to instantly verify the information electronically by electronically accessing records of DOT, the elector need not provide proof of residence before voting.

The bill directs GAB to report to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature, no later than July 1, 2017, concerning its progress in initially implementing the registration system created by the bill. The report must contain an assessment of the feasibility and desirability or integration of registration information with information maintained by the departments of health services, children and families, workforce development, revenue, regulation and licensing, and natural resources, the University of Wisconsin System, and the State Technical College System Board, as well as with the technical colleges in each technical college district.

Currently, the legislature has made appropriations to GAB for the operation of GAB in the current fiscal biennium. This bill does not change these appropriations.

However, the bill provides that before GAB may encumber or expend any amount of money to implement or administer any provision of the act resulting from enactment of this bill, GAB's legal counsel must first notify the cochairpersons of the Joint Committee on Finance of the proposed encumbrance or expenditure. The proposed encumbrance or expenditure is then subject to approval of or modification by the committee, but the committee may waive its right to review any proposed encumbrance or expenditure.