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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 149

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: the nomination of presidential electors.

Elections Presidential electors

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Assembly, completed
  3. Passes Senate, completed
  4. Governor signs, completed
  5. Law, completed

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday in October of each year in which there is a presidential election, the following members of a political party must convene in the state capitol to nominate the party’s presidential electors: candidates for state senate or assembly, state officers, and holdover state senators. A vote for a party’s candidates for president and vice president in the presidential election is a vote for the party’s presidential electors so nominated. After the election, the presidential electors of the winning candidates for president and vice president then convene and transmit their votes for president and vice president to Congress.

Under this bill, if, in a presidential election year, a political party does not have a candidate for state senate or assembly, state officer, or holdover state senator, in lieu of a convention described above, no later than 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday in October preceding the presidential election, the chairperson of the state committee of the political party must nominate the party’s presidential electors.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Behnke (R) , Brill (R) , Kreibich (R) , Sortwell (R) , Wichgers (R)

2 cosponsors

Jacque (R) , O'Connor (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 1

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Assembly: Report passage recommended by Committee on Campaigns and Elections, Ayes 6, Noes 0

Passed 6–0 May 7, 2025 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 Oct 2, 2025 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Mar 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Sortwell, Behnke, Brill, Kreibich and Wichgers; cosponsored by Senator Jacque

  2. Mar 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections

  3. Apr 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. May 6, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. May 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Campaigns and Elections, Ayes 6, Noes 0

  6. May 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  7. Jun 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from Committee on Rules and referred to calendar of 6-24-2025

  8. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  9. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  10. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  11. Jun 24, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  12. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative O'Connor added as a coauthor

  13. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  14. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  15. Jun 27, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development

  16. Sep 16, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  17. Oct 2, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  18. Oct 2, 2025 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  19. Oct 2, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  20. Oct 13, 2025 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 10-14-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  21. Oct 14, 2025 · Senate

    Read a second time

  22. Oct 14, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  23. Oct 14, 2025 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  24. Oct 14, 2025 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  25. Oct 14, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  26. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  27. Oct 16, 2025 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 10-16-2025

  28. Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 10-29-2025

  29. Oct 31, 2025 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 10-31-2025. 2025 Wisconsin Act 47

  30. Oct 31, 2025 · Assembly

    Published 11-1-2025