WI AB800

Municipalities with absentee ballot canvassing boards may begin canvassing absentee ballots starting at 7 a.m. on the day before an election, with mandatory recess by 8 p.m. that day and no reconvening before 7 a.m. on election day.

Single-polling-place municipalities without canvassing boards may also adopt early absentee ballot canvassing by ordinance, subject to the same timing requirements and at least 60 days' notice to the Elections Commission.

Equipment and ballots must be secured overnight with tamper-evident seals in double-lock locations, with seal status recorded before resuming; any tampering evidence requires equipment replacement, a mandatory recount, and an equipment audit.

Votes on early-canvassed absentee ballots cannot be tallied until after polls close on election day, and intentionally accessing or disclosing tallied results before polls close constitutes a Class I felony (up to $10,000 fine and/or 3.5 years imprisonment).

Election officials who willfully neglect or refuse to perform prescribed canvassing duties are guilty of a Class I felony, and all related ordinances must take effect at least 60 days before an election.