Wisconsin

Status of Audit Legislation: 
In effect since 2006
Link to Text of Legislation: 
Wisconsin's law
Notes: 

State Summary Passed in 2006, Wisconsin's audit legislation is not binding upon election results and cannot be expanded to a full recount. The statute governing audits is Wisconsin Statute 7.08, “Government Accountability Board,” Subsection (6), “Enforcement of Federal Voting System Standards”: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/statutes/Stat0007.pdf. More detailed rules for Wisconsin's audit procedures can be found in the Government Accountability Board's Voting System Requirements: http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/page/voting_system_audit_procedure.... All page number references in the information below are to this document, unless otherwise noted.

Sampling Method: 

A minimum of 50 reporting units will be selected by the Government Accountability Board for audit by municipal clerks. An additional 10 reporting units will be selected by the Government Accountability Board. These audits will be conducted by the Board's staff.

Trigger: 

If the hand counts and Election Day vote tallies/totals do not match, the clerk double checks the Election Day vote tallies/totals and counts the ballots again. If the counts do not match after this recount, the difference is noted. The SEB will then contact the appropriate vendors and request an investigation. If the vendor cannot adequately explain the discrepancies, the State will suspend approval of all equipment from the vendor.

Oversight: 
WI State Elections Board
Who Conducts the Audit?: 
municipalities and SEB staff
Location of Random Selection: 
State Election Board
Types of Voting Machines in Use: 
Optical scan and DREs with VVPAT For more detailed information, see Verified Voting's website: http://www.verifiedvoting.org/verifier/map.php?&topic_string=5std&year=2008&state=Wisconsin
Races that are Audited: 
A minimum of four (4) contests shall be audited, including the top candidate race on the ballot (either gubernatorial or presidential). The other audited contests shall be selected randomly by the State Elections Board from all other contests that appear on the ballot, but must appear on every ballot in the state.
Voting Units that are Audited: 
Reporting Units
Timeline for Audit: 

The audit must be conducted no later than two (2) weeks after the county board of canvassers certifies the election results to the State Elections Board. The county board of canvassers may conduct the audit as part of its canvass proceedings

Completed Before Certification?: 

No

Is the Audit Publicly Observable?: 
Yes
Additional Resources: 
Wisconsin Statutes - Chapters 5-12 - Elections
Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Elections Division
Wisconsin Election Administration Manual - Recounts (PDF)
Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Recount Manual (PDF)
Wisconsin Audit Info from CEI