Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Nomination Papers

How can I tell if a candidate has filed required ballot access materials?

Wisconsin Elections Commission staff have completed review of each candidate’s nomination signatures and declaration of candidacy.

As of the 4:30 p.m. report on June 3, if there is no entry listed under the “Date Filed” column on the “Nomination Paper Tracking Report,” the candidate did not submit signatures to the Wisconsin Elections Commission by the June 1, 2022 deadline, and staff will not recommend that the Commissioners approve ballot access. The “Nomination Paper Tracking Report” can be found at the bottom of our Fall 2022 General Election Page.

As of the 4:30 p.m. report on June 3, if there is no entry listed under the “Declaration of Candidacy Date,” or “Nomination Papers Date” columns on the “Candidates Tracking By Office” document, the candidate did not submit the materials to the Wisconsin Elections Commission and staff will not recommend that the Commissioners approve ballot access. The “Candidates Tracking By Office” document is also located at the bottom of our Fall 2022 General Election Page.

At this time, the WEC has not yet updated the “Campaign Registration Statement” and “Statement of Economic Interests” dates because they are under the purview of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Review will be completed in time for the Commission’s June 10, 2022 Ballot Access Meeting.

Candidates can still file their Statement of Economic Interests with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission by June 6.

“Pending” may indicate a candidate has not filed all necessary documents or has fallen short of the minimum number of signatures, but the candidate may still have time to remedy their ballot materials to be granted ballot access on June 10. “Pending” does not automatically mean the candidate will not be granted ballot access.

Will the number of candidates recommended for approval change after today?

Maybe.

Candidates have until Monday, June 6 at 4:30 p.m. to file correcting affidavits to remedy any issues WEC staff flagged with the candidate’s papers, meaning the number of valid signatures WEC staff recommend for approval may fluctuate (likely increase) following Monday’s deadline for candidates who file correcting affidavits.

The deadline to turn in nomination papers is extended until Saturday, June 4 at 5 p.m. for the Assembly District 10 and 15 races only. Staff will complete review in those races next week.

Challenges filed against a candidate’s papers could reduce the number of valid signatures the Commission approves for a given candidate if the Commission agrees with the challenger. (More on that below).

It is important to understand that the number of valid signatures listed for each candidate on the “Nomination Paper Tracking Report” and “Candidate Tracking By Office” documents are nothing more than staff recommendations for the number of signatures staff believe meet requirements. During its June 10 Ballot Access Meeting, the full Commission will consider all nomination papers, correcting affidavits, challenges, and staff recommendations to determine which candidates have submitted enough valid signatures, and the Commission will then approve those candidates for ballot access.

Does the Wisconsin Elections Commission factor in supplemental signatures that a candidate may have turned in?

If the number of valid signatures WEC staff recommend for a candidate is above the minimum threshold for that race upon reviewing the candidate’s initial filing staff do not perform review on any supplemental signatures the candidate may have filed with us.

However, if the number of signatures WEC staff recommend is below the minimum threshold for the office, staff proceed to review supplemental signatures if a candidate filed them with the agency. If a candidate dropped below the threshold during staff review and did provide supplemental signatures, supplemental signatures reviewed by staff would be included in the total valid signatures number listed on the “Nomination Paper Tracking Report” and “Candidate Tracking By Office” documents, although the documents would not specifically indicate whether the total does or does not include supplemental signatures.

If staff approve a number of valid signatures for a candidate over the minimum threshold, but a challenge is filed that would reduce the number of valid signatures below the minimum threshold, staff then review supplemental signatures and present the number of valid signatures to the Commission for consideration. These supplemental signatures would not appear in the “Nomination Paper Tracking Report” or the “Candidate Tracking By Office” report.

A list of candidates who provided supplemental signatures can be found among the attachments on our “Fall 2022 General Election” page.

How could the challenge process affect a candidate’s signatures?

A verified challenge to a candidate’s nomination papers could significantly lower the number of signatures for a candidate that the Commission approves on June 10. Or, alternatively, the Commission could end up rejecting the verified challenge and the candidate’s signature count could remain unchanged. In rare instances, candidates also submit a sworn challenge to the initial determinations of WEC staff. This could potentially raise the number of signatures if the Commission sustains the challenge.

If a verified challenge has been filed against a candidate by the deadline, staff will review any supplemental signatures the candidate has filed with us and provide the number of recommended supplemental signatures to the Commission for consideration of the challenge.

Monday, June 6* at 4:30 p.m. is the deadline to challenge nomination papers. Any member of the public may challenge the sufficiency of a candidate’s nomination papers by filing a verified (notarized or otherwise sworn under oath) complaint with the Elections Commission by Monday, June 6 at 4:30 p.m. This is also the deadline for candidates to file correcting affidavits. Candidates whose nomination papers are challenged may file responses within three days of the filing of the challenge.

For Assembly Districts 10 and 15 ONLY, whose nomination paper deadline has been extended until Saturday at 5 p.m. due to the incumbent not filing a declaration of noncandidacy or nomination papers, the deadline to challenge nomination papers in those races is extended until Tuesday, June 7 at 4:30 p.m.

Staff will compile the challenges and candidate responses for consideration by the full Commission at the June 10, 2022 Ballot Access Meeting.

An overview of the challenge process and deadlines is posted on our website here Information about Filing a Challenge to a Candidate’s Nomination Papers | Wisconsin Elections Commission

Challenge materials will be available as part of the meeting materials for the June 10 Ballot Access Meeting.

Viewing Nomination Papers

Copies of candidate nomination papers are available for free at the WEC’s Badger Voters website: Badger Voter (wi.gov)

On the home page, select “Get Started.” Then, select “Nomination Data” and choose the candidate’s name from the drop down menu.

All nomination papers received by the June 1 deadline have been scanned and posted on BadgerVoters.wi.gov. Supplemental papers are also posted. Supplemental papers are saved as a separate file with the indicator “Supp” or “Supplemental.” Only supplemental papers from the 2022 cycle are posted.

*Because the three-day period for filing correcting affidavits and challenges established by Wis. Admin. Code. EL §§ 2.05(4) and 2.07(2)(a) falls on a Saturday, a day the agency is not scheduled to be open for regular business, Wis. Stat. § 990.001(4)(c) dictates that the Commission must accept the documents on Monday.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.