Senate Bill 1177 mandates that all county clerks in Wisconsin perform risk-limiting audits for elections starting in 2027. A risk-limiting audit is defined as a statistical method aimed at ensuring the accuracy of election outcomes by manually inspecting random samples of paper ballots. The bill specifies that the audits must be completed before the county canvass and certification of election results. If the audit reveals discrepancies that necessitate a full manual tally, the results from this tally will supersede the electronic vote counts for official results. Additionally, the bill maintains the requirement for the Elections Commission to conduct performance audits of voting systems, ensuring that both audits work in tandem to uphold election integrity.

The bill also introduces significant changes to how excess ballots are handled. Under current law, if the number of ballots exceeds the number of voters recorded, excess ballots are drawn and not counted. However, the new legislation stipulates that all excess ballots will be counted, with discrepancies documented in detail. If the discrepancy exceeds 0.5 percent of the total ballots cast, the Elections Commission is required to investigate the cause. This change aims to enhance transparency and accuracy in the electoral process, ensuring that all legally cast ballots are preserved and counted, thereby reinforcing the integrity of elections in Wisconsin.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 6.875(5), 6.875, 7.51(2)(e), 7.51, 7.52(4)(e), 7.52