Assembly Bill 540
Extending voting rights to certain 17-year-old individuals and requiring a referendum
Topics: Constitution, Wisconsin, Elections, Primary elections, Referendum, Voting, Youth
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.
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Introduced, passed
Oct 15, 2025
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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, 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 509. That version died when the session ended.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Currently, in addition to other qualifications, an individual must be at least 18 years of age to vote at an election in this state. This bill allows an individual who is 17 years of age to vote at a primary if the individual will be 18 years of age on the date on which the election following the primary is held.
Because the bill extends the right to vote to a class of individuals beyond the class currently entitled to vote under the Wisconsin Constitution, the bill cannot become law unless, following enactment, it is approved by the majority of the votes cast at a statewide referendum to be held at the November 2026 general election.
Who's behind it
17 representatives are its . All 17 are Democrats.
10 more lawmakers .
See all 27 names Hide the names
Authors (17)
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Joan Fitzgerald · Democrat, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Maureen McCarville · Democrat, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Christian Phelps · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- Lee Snodgrass · Democrat, Assembly
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (10)
- Kristin Dassler-Alfheim · Democrat, Senate
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Robyn Vining · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Oct 17, 2025 to Mar 20, 2026
3 more representatives signed on in support.
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Oct 15, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
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Oct 15, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Snodgrass, Palmeri, Andraca, Arney, Brown, Clancy, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Johnson, Madison, McCarville, Moore Omokunde, Phelps, Roe, Stroud, Stubbs and Miresse; cosponsored by Senators Roys, Dassler-Alfheim, L. Johnson, Larson, Ratcliff, Spreitzer and Hesselbein
- Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections
- Oct 17, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Subeck added as a coauthor
- Feb 9, 2026 · Assembly
Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor
- Mar 20, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Vining added as a coauthor
- 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.
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
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