Senate Bill 361 proposes significant changes to the voting process in Wisconsin's partisan primary elections by allowing voters to split their tickets, enabling them to select candidates from multiple parties for different offices, including the governor and lieutenant governor, while still voting for independent candidates. This change aims to enhance voter choice and flexibility and will be implemented in the 2026 partisan primary election. The bill also includes various amendments and repeals to existing statutes, such as the repeal of sections that previously restricted voting practices and the renumbering and amending of others to align with the new provisions, including modifications to the definition of a recognized political party and ballot structure.

Additionally, the bill introduces new requirements for voting procedures, such as proof of residence for certain electors and stipulations for ballot requests via fax or email. It clarifies that votes for write-in candidates will not be counted if they are placed in the wrong column or row, and it mandates that the certified list of presidential and vice-presidential candidates be sent promptly after the nomination paper filing deadline. The bill also specifies that the individual receiving the most votes in a partisan primary will be the party's candidate, regardless of whether their name appears on the ballot, thereby streamlining the voting process and clarifying rules surrounding candidate nominations and write-in votes.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 5.02(16m), 5.02, 5.35(6)(b), 5.35, 5.51(7), 5.51, 5.62(1), 5.62, 5.62(2), 5.62(3), 5.655(1), 5.655, 5.81(4), 5.81, 5.84(1), 5.84, 5.91(1), 5.91, 5.91(3), 5.91(6), 6.80(2)(am), 6.80, 6.80(2)(f), 6.87(4)(b)1, 6.87, 7.08(2)(b), 7.08, 7.50(1)(d), 7.50, 7.50(2)(g), 8.16(1), 8.16, 8.16(6), 8.16(7)