Skip to content

Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 539

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: voter preregistration of 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds. (FE)

Elections — Registration Elections commission Youth Zoning

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, only qualified electors may register to vote and vote in an election. A qualified elector is a U.S. citizen age 18 or older who has resided in an election district or ward for 28 consecutive days.

Under this bill, an individual who is age 16 or 17 but who is otherwise eligible to vote in Wisconsin may preregister to vote. An individual who preregisters under the bill may not vote in an election unless he or she is at least 18 years of age on election day.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Andraca (D) , Arney (D) , Brown (D) , Clancy (D) , DeSmidt (D) , Emerson (D) , Fitzgerald (D) , Johnson (D) , Madison (D) , McCarville (D) , Miresse (D) , Moore Omokunde (D) , Neubauer (D) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Palmeri (D) , Phelps (D) , Roe (D) , Sheehan (D) , Sinicki (D) , Snodgrass (D) , Stroud (D) , Stubbs (D) , Taylor (D) , Udell (D)

12 cosponsors

Carpenter (D) , Dassler-Alfheim (D) , Hesselbein (D) , J. Jacobson (D) , Keyeski (D) , L. Johnson (D) , Larson (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Smith (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Subeck (D) , Wall (D)

Full history

  1. Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Snodgrass, Palmeri, Andraca, Arney, Brown, Clancy, DeSmidt, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Johnson, Madison, McCarville, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Ortiz-Velez, Phelps, Roe, Sheehan, Stroud, Stubbs, Taylor, Udell and Sinicki; cosponsored by Senators Smith, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Larson, Ratcliff, Wall and Hesselbein

  2. Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections

  3. Oct 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Subeck added as a coauthor

  4. Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Dec 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  6. Feb 9, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor

  7. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1