AB 173

Under this bill, no official or agent of a county, city, village, or town may apply

for or accept any donation or grant of moneys, equipment, materials, or personnel

from an individual or nongovernmental entity for purposes of election

administration, except as expressly authorized under the statutes relating to

elections. If the Elections Commission accepts a donation or grant of moneys from

an individual or nongovernmental entity for purposes of election administration, the

commission may not expend those moneys, except as follows:

1. The commission must distribute the moneys to each municipality in

Wisconsin on a per capita basis, subject to an exception for distributions that would

result in any municipality receiving less than $25.

2. The commission may expend the moneys only as approved by the Joint

Committee on Finance.

Under the bill, whoever violates one of the prohibitions described above is guilty

of a Class I felony, the penalty for which is a fine not to exceed $10,000 or

imprisonment not to exceed three years and six months, or both.

The bill also makes it a Class I felony for any person to assist in counting or

tabulating votes at an election unless the person is a resident of this state, is a

tabulator or election official who is trained to the extent provided by law, and has

signed the official oath and returned it to the municipal clerk with respect to that

election.

Finally, the bill prohibits the appointment of any poll worker who is an

employee of any of the following:

1. A candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, political action

committee, independent expenditure committee, political party, recall committee, or

referendum committee, as those terms are defined by law.

2. A political organization required to register with the federal elections

commission.

3. An issue advocacy group.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime,

the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a

report.