Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 5 - Elections — general provisions; ballots and voting systems.
5.84 - Testing of equipment; requirements for programs and ballots.

5.84 Testing of equipment; requirements for programs and ballots.
(1) Where any municipality employs an electronic voting system which utilizes automatic tabulating equipment, either at the polling place or at a central counting location, the municipal clerk shall, on any day not more than 10 days prior to the election day on which the equipment is to be utilized, have the equipment tested to ascertain that it will correctly count the votes cast for all offices and on all measures. Public notice of the time and place of the test shall be given by the clerk at least 48 hours prior to the test by publication of a class 1 notice under ch. 985 in one or more newspapers published within the municipality if a newspaper is published therein, otherwise in a newspaper of general circulation therein. The test shall be open to the public. The test shall be conducted by processing a preaudited group of ballots so marked as to record a predetermined number of valid votes for each candidate and on each referendum. The test shall include for each office one or more ballots which have votes in excess of the number allowed by law and, for a partisan primary election, one or more ballots which have votes cast for candidates of more than one recognized political party, in order to test the ability of the automatic tabulating equipment to reject such votes. If any error is detected, the municipal clerk shall ascertain the cause and correct the error. The clerk shall make an errorless count before the automatic tabulating equipment is approved by the clerk for use in the election.
(2) Before beginning the ballot count at each polling place or at the central counting location, the election officials shall witness a test of the automatic tabulating equipment by engaging the printing mechanism and securing a printed result showing a zero count for every candidate and referendum. After the completion of the count, the ballots and programs used shall be sealed and retained under the custody of the municipal clerk in a secure location.
History: 1979 c. 311; 2001 a. 16; 2005 a. 92.

Structure Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations

Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations

Chapter 5 - Elections — general provisions; ballots and voting systems.

5.01 - Scope.

5.02 - Definitions.

5.025 - Elections commission; definition.

5.05 - Elections commission; powers and duties.

5.055 - Election assistance commission standards board.

5.056 - Matching program with secretary of transportation.

5.06 - Compliance review; appeal.

5.061 - Compliance with federal Help America Vote Act.

5.07 - Action to compel compliance.

5.08 - Petition for enforcement.

5.081 - Petition for enforcement of voting rights.

5.10 - Presidential electors.

5.15 - Division of municipalities into wards.

5.18 - Enforcement of division requirement.

5.25 - Polling places.

5.35 - Polling place requirements.

5.36 - Notice of voting by individuals with disabilities.

5.37 - Voting machine requirements.

5.40 - Use of voting machines or systems.

5.51 - General provisions.

5.52 - Multi-candidate elections.

5.53 - Voting machine ballots.

5.54 - Notice to electors.

5.55 - Information.

5.56 - Multiple columns and rows.

5.58 - Spring primary ballots.

5.60 - Spring election ballots.

5.62 - Partisan primary ballots.

5.64 - General election ballots.

5.65 - Special referendum ballots.

5.655 - Consolidated ballots.

5.66 - Number of ballots.

5.68 - Cost of elections.

5.72 - Correcting ballot errors.

5.76 - Adoption, experimentation or discontinuance of systems.

5.77 - Applicable procedures.

5.78 - Voting booths.

5.79 - Instruction of electors.

5.80 - Demonstrator electronic voting system.

5.81 - Ballot information; arrangement; absentee ballots.

5.82 - Write-in ballots.

5.83 - Preparation for use of voting devices; comparison of ballots.

5.84 - Testing of equipment; requirements for programs and ballots.

5.85 - Receiving, counting, tallying and return of ballots.

5.86 - Proceedings at central counting locations.

5.87 - Tabulating votes.

5.89 - Official return.

5.90 - Recounts.

5.905 - Software components.

5.91 - Requisites for approval of ballots, devices and equipment.

5.92 - Bond may be required.

5.93 - Administration.

5.94 - Sample ballots; publication.

5.95 - Elector information.