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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Senate Bill 594

Ranked-choice voting for local nonpartisan elections, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

Topics: County: Elections, Elections Commission, Municipality: Elections, Ordinance, School: Administration, Voting

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 30, 2025

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly 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 Senate Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs. The committee's chair at the time was Chris Kapenga. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 516. 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.

This bill allows local governmental units to enact an ordinance or adopt a resolution to use ranked-choice voting for the election of all local officials, not including recall elections for any such officials. The bill defines “local governmental unit” as a county, city, village, town, or special purpose district, including a school district. Under ranked-choice voting, each voter may rank as many preferences for each office or seat as there are candidates whose names appear on the ballot for that office or seat. If the voter indicates a preference for more than one candidate for an office or seat, the voter must indicate a preference between the candidates by designating one as “first choice,” another as “second choice,” and ranking subsequent choices in sequential preference. A voter may also indicate a preference for one or more write-in candidates for any office or seat.

A voter who casts one vote for a candidate for an office or seat but who does not indicate a preference is considered to have cast a “first-choice” preference for that candidate. If any candidate receives a majority of the first-choice preferences for the office or seat, that candidate is elected. If no candidate receives a majority of the first-choice preferences for an office or seat, the name of the candidate receiving the least number of first-choice preferences is dropped and the second-choice preferences of the voters who preferred that candidate, if any, are then added to the first-choice preferences received by the other candidates. Subsequent preferences of those voters are allocated to the other candidates in a similar manner as candidates with the fewest voter preferences are eliminated. If any candidate for the office or seat then has a majority of the combined first-choice and reallocated preferences, that candidate is elected. If not, the procedure is repeated until one candidate receives a majority of the combined first-choice and reallocated preferences.

Read the full summary

In the case of a multiple-seat district, the candidates whose vote total is equal to or greater than the threshold number of votes are elected. The threshold is determined by dividing the total number of votes cast for the open seats by the number of the open seats, plus one, and adding one to the quotient, disregarding any fractions. Generally, if a candidate receives more than the number of threshold votes during a round of counting the preferential votes, his or her surplus votes are allocated to the continuing candidates in order of preference until all open seats are filled. A voter may also indicate a preference for one or more write-in candidates.

Under ranked-choice voting, no primary election is held for an elective office in a local governmental unit.

Finally, the bill authorizes the Elections Commission to make expenditures to implement and administer ranked-choice voting, including updating equipment and software and implementing secure technologies, and to make grants to local governmental units for the same purpose.

Who's behind it

4 senators are its ⁠. All 4 are Democrats.

17 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 21 names

Authors (4)

Signed on in support (17)

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. Feb 9, 2026

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Nov 10, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Oct 30, 2025

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs.

  5. Oct 30, 2025

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 30, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Larson, Dassler-Alfheim, L. Johnson and Spreitzer; cosponsored by Representatives Rivera-Wagner, Snodgrass, Andraca, Arney, Clancy, DeSmidt, Emerson, Johnson, Madison, Miresse, Phelps, Roe, Sinicki, Stroud, Stubbs and Subeck

  2. Oct 30, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs

  3. Nov 10, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Feb 9, 2026 · Senate

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor

  5. Mar 23, 2026 · Senate

    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.

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