Assembly Bill 861
Authorizing certain overseas and military voters to vote absentee by electronic transmission and granting rule-making authority. (FE)
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
Feb 4, 2020
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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 1, 2020: “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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill requires the Elections Commission to promulgate rules authorizing overseas voters who are service members or civilian employees of the U.S.
Department of Defense or a DOD contractor to vote absentee by electronic transmission. Under current law, such voters must return their absentee ballots by mail.
Read the full summary Show less
The commission's rules must include all of the following requirements:
1. A voter may vote absentee by electronic transmission only if the voter waives the right to a secret ballot.
2. When an absentee ballot is received by electronic transmission, the person receiving the transmission must examine it to determine that all pages have been received and are legible and may not reveal how the voter voted.
3. The absentee ballot must be sealed in an envelope marked with the voter's name and stored with other returned absentee ballots.
4. The commission must establish an online portal allowing a voter to access, complete, and electronically sign his or her ballot online by use of a valid federal common access card (CAC). The CAC is a “smart” card used as a standard identification for active duty uniformed service personnel, civilian employees of DOD, and eligible DOD contractor personnel.
Who's behind it
12 lawmakers are its . 11 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.
5 more lawmakers .
See all 17 names Hide the names
Authors (12)
- Cindi Duchow · Republican, Assembly
- Mary Felzkowski · Republican, Senate
- Cody Horlacher · Republican, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Gae Magnafici · Republican, Assembly
- Todd Novak · Republican, Assembly
- Michael Schraa · Republican, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Ken Skowronski · Republican, Assembly
- Shae Sortwell · Republican, Assembly
- John Spiros · Republican, Assembly
- Jeremy Thiesfeldt · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (5)
- Kathleen Bernier · Republican, Senate
- C. Taylor and Plumer
- James Edming · Republican, Assembly
- Chris Kapenga · Republican, Senate
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
Versions and amendments
Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.
What happened
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Apr 1, 2020
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 20, 2020
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 5, 2020 to Feb 12, 2020
4 more representatives signed on in support.
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Feb 4, 2020
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
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Feb 4, 2020
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 4, 2020 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Duchow, Skowronski, Felzkowski, Horlacher, Kitchens, Magnafici, Novak, Schraa, Sinicki, Sortwell, Spiros and Thiesfeldt; cosponsored by Senators Bernier and Kapenga
- Feb 4, 2020 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections
- Feb 5, 2020 · Assembly
- Feb 5, 2020 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Duchow
- Feb 6, 2020 · Assembly
Representative Edming added as a coauthor
- Feb 12, 2020 · Assembly
Representative Wichgers added as a coauthor
- Feb 20, 2020 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Apr 1, 2020 · 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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate