Kenosha County Clerk Regi Waligora announced on April 13 a change in state law that affects who can circulate nomination papers for candidates in the upcoming fall partisan elections. The update comes as the petition circulation period begins Wednesday, April 15.
The change is due to Act 126, signed into law last month, which now requires circulators of nomination papers for all offices except U.S. president to be “qualified electors of the state.” Previously, individuals from other states could serve as circulators if they would have been eligible to vote in Wisconsin had they lived there.
“Under the new law, circulators must be residents of Wisconsin for voting purposes,” Waligora said. “With this fall’s petition-circulating period about to begin, I’m working to make sure candidates and political parties are aware of the change, so that papers collected by out-of-state circulators won’t have to be disqualified.”
To vote in Wisconsin, a person must be a U.S. citizen at least 18 years old, have resided at an address within the state for at least 28 days, and not currently serving a felony conviction including incarceration or supervision. The new rule also applies to recall petitions according to Waligora. Updated forms reflecting these requirements are now available on her office’s website.
Offices up for election this fall include Clerk of Courts and Sheriff in Kenosha County. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3 with primaries set for Aug. 11; nomination papers must be filed by June 1.
In related community data about Kenosha County schools during the current academic year: Indian Trail High School and Academy enrolled the most students (2,001), followed by Tremper High School (1,458) and Bradford High School (1,448), according to the Department of Public Instruction. Of all students attending county schools this year—25,402 total—white students made up just over half at approximately 55.6% (14,124), while Hispanic students accounted for about one-quarter (25.7%, or 6,528) and Black students were third largest at roughly one-tenth (10.4%, or 2,642), as reported by the Department of Public Instruction. Multiracial students represented around 6.6% of enrollment; American Indian students made up only about 0.2%; Pacific Islander students were least represented at just under one-tenth percent—all figures provided by the Department of Public Instruction.
More information on filing deadlines and candidate requirements can be found on a webpage compiled by Waligora’s office.
