Assembly Bill 426 aims to enhance the rights of election observers in Wisconsin by amending existing statutes and introducing new provisions. The bill mandates that municipal clerks, chief inspectors, and boards of canvassers provide uniform and nondiscriminatory access to all stages of the election process, including recounts. It also specifies that election observers must be allowed to observe the certification of election technologies, absentee voting, canvassing, elector appeals, vote tabulation, and recounts. Additionally, the bill establishes penalties for election officials who violate these provisions, allowing for imprisonment of up to 90 days or fines of up to $1,000.

The bill amends Section 7.41 to clarify the responsibilities of election officials regarding the designation of observation areas, ensuring they are positioned to allow observers to readily see all public aspects of the voting process. It also creates a new subsection (4m) that explicitly requires uniform access for observers and includes penalties for noncompliance. Furthermore, it amends Section 9.01 to ensure that all steps of a recount are conducted publicly and in accordance with the new provisions outlined in Section 7.41.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 7.41(2), 7.41, 9.01(1)(b)11, 9.01