Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Relating to: voter preregistration of 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds. (FE)
Elections — Registration Elections commission Youth Zoning
- Introduced, stopped here
- Passes Senate, not reached
- Passes Assembly, not reached
- Governor signs, not reached
- 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: Carpenter (D) , Dassler-Alfheim (D) , Hesselbein (D) , Keyeski (D) , L. Johnson (D) , Larson (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Smith (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Wall (D)
26 cosponsors
Andraca (D) , Arney (D) , Brown (D) , Clancy (D) , DeSmidt (D) , Emerson (D) , Fitzgerald (D) , J. Jacobson (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) , Subeck (D) , Taylor (D) , Udell (D)
Full history
- Oct 9, 2025 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Smith, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Larson, Ratcliff, Wall, Hesselbein and Spreitzer; cosponsored 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
- Oct 9, 2025 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development
- Oct 10, 2025 · Senate
Representative Subeck added as a cosponsor
- Oct 29, 2025 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 9, 2026 · Senate
Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1