Nomination papers and associated ballot access documents are the primary way for candidates to get their name on the ballot when seeking elected office. The documents listed above provide members of the public and media with information regarding the candidates who have submitted at least some materials to the Wisconsin Elections Commission to be considered for placement on the ballot for the 2023 Spring Election and Spring Primary.
The above documents contain the names of potential candidates for state level office, for which the Wisconsin Elections Commission is the filing officer. For the non-partisan Spring Election, state level offices include Circuit Court Judges, Appeals Court Judges, and Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Additionally, the documents reflect materials submitted by potential candidates for a special election for State Senator District 8 that will coincide with the Spring Election.
While municipal and school district offices will be up for election this Spring, such offices are not listed in the above documents because the Wisconsin Elections Commission is not the filing officer. For ballot access information for such offices, you will need to contact the appropriate municipality or school district.
To be placed on the Spring 2023 Election ballot, candidates must submit sufficient nomination papers and other ballot access materials by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Candidates have until Friday, Jan. 6 to file a Statement of Economic Interest with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
Following Tuesday’s nomination paper deadline, staff will post an updated report indicating whether a candidate has supplied nomination papers, however, this report does not necessarily guarantee that a candidate will achieve ballot status.
Ballot status decisions are not official until a vote of the Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Below are additional details on how to interpret the attached documents:
-Candidates Tracking By Office: This document provides the names of all candidates who have submitted at least one of the required materials for ballot access, along with the date on which the filing officer received the applicable material.
If a "Candidates Tracking By Office" report posted after 5 p.m. on Jan. 3 does not list a date under the "Nomination Papers Date" column, the candidate did not submit nomination papers by the deadline.
The “Valid Signatures” column includes the signatures Wisconsin Elections Commission staff have recommended for approval upon an initial facial review. Information appearing on a nomination paper is presumed to be valid (ex. an elector who lists an address within the correct district is presumed to reside at that address). This column will not include supplemental signatures (additional signatures provided by the candidate over the maximum threshold required by statute) unless staff’s initial finds that the candidate has not met the minimum signature threshold using non-supplemental signatures.
The “Ballot Status” column may indicate “approved,” “pending,” or may be blank. “Approved” means that, upon initial review, the candidate has supplied all necessary materials required for ballot access and that the signatures provided on the candidate’s nomination papers appear to meet requirements. “Approved” does not guarantee the candidate ballot access, as the candidate’s materials may still be subject to a challenge.
The six members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 10 to consider any challenges filed to a candidate’s nomination papers and to vote on each candidate’s ballot access. Ballot access is not officially achieved until the Commission considers all challenges and votes to approve (or deny) ballot access on Jan. 10.
“Pending” means a candidate has filed at least one ballot access document but did not submit all necessary documents by the deadline or the documents do not appear to meet requirements.
All approvals or denials of ballot access are not official until the Commission votes at its Jan. 10 ballot access meeting.
-Nomination Paper Tracking: This document lists candidates who have submitted nomination papers to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and the corresponding date on which the nomination papers were received. If staff have completed their initial review, the number of signatures recommended valid will be listed. If the number of signatures is missing, this may indicate that staff are still reviewing the signatures for compliance.
This list only tracks whether a candidate has submitted nomination papers. It does not indicate whether the candidate has filed other required materials for ballot access. The number of signatures listed on the document is subject to challenge, and thus the final number of signatures may change.
If a "Nomination Paper Tracking" report posted after 5 p.m. on Jan. 3 does not list a candidate's name, the candidate did not submit nomination papers by the deadline.