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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Assembly Bill 506

Authorizing electors to vote in the primary of more than one political party. (FE)

Topics: Political parties, Primary elections

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Oct 9, 2025

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections. The committee's chair at the time was Dave Maxey. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 361. That version died when the session ended.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, 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.

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.

Read the full summary

The bill initially applies to voting at the 2026 partisan primary election.

Who's behind it

9 representatives are its ⁠. All 9 are Democrats.

5 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 14 names

Authors (9)

Signed on in support (5)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Jan 8, 2026

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Oct 29, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Oct 9, 2025

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.

  5. Oct 9, 2025

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 9, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Ortiz-Velez, Snodgrass, Bare, Cruz, Joers, Miresse, Sinicki, Udell and Clancy; cosponsored by Senators Carpenter, Spreitzer, Keyeski and Wall

  2. Oct 9, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections

  3. Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Jan 8, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor

  5. Mar 23, 2026 · 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.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

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

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

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