Senate Bill 378 seeks to update Wisconsin's election laws to align with the federal Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) by instituting specific deadlines for the certification and transmission of presidential election results. The bill requires the governor to send the certificate of ascertainment of presidential electors to the archivist of the United States no later than six days before the electors convene, which is now set for the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, instead of the previous first Monday. Additionally, the Elections Commission is mandated to complete the state canvass of presidential election results within 16 days post-election and implement expedited procedures for recounts, including immediate recount orders and timely commencement by boards of canvassers.

The legislation also modifies existing deadlines for various election-related processes, such as requiring municipal clerks to deliver election materials by 9 a.m. on the Saturday following a presidential election and adjusting the timeline for appeals of recount results to one business day. It introduces new provisions for the canvassing and certification processes, including a requirement for county clerks to correct election statements within three days and for the commission to publicly canvass and certify election returns by specified deadlines. The bill clarifies that the governor must issue a certificate of ascertainment for presidential electors by a set deadline, regardless of pending recounts, while establishing that any new certificate issued due to a recount or court order will take precedence over previous ones.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 7.51(5)(b), 7.51, 7.53(1)(a), 7.53, 7.53(2)(d), 7.60(3), 7.60, 7.60(5)(a), 7.70(1)(b), 7.70, 7.70(3)(a), 7.70(3)(c), 7.70(3)(i), 7.70(5)(title), 7.70(5)(a), 7.75(1), 7.75, 9.01(1)(ar)3, 9.01