WI Presidential Ballot Access
Wisconsin Presidential Ballot Access Requirements
State-level general-election presidential ballot access requirements for Wisconsin, including party nomination, petition access, and write-in rules where available in the NASS summary.
Party Nomination
Political Party Nomination
The names of candidates for President and Vice President are placed on the General Election ballot in Wisconsin by one of the following methods: Political organizations that have attained ballot status currently are the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Constitution parties. This is subject to change if a party petitions the Commission for ballot status. The names of candidates for President and Vice President for these parties are placed on the General Election ballot when their names are certified by the state or national chairperson to the Wisconsin Election Commission no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September. Wis. Stat. § 8.16(7). Each certified candidate must file a Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162) with the Wisconsin Election Commission no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September. Wis. Stat. § 8.21(1). Political organizations that have not attained ballot status may file a Petition for Ballot Status (EL-171) with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The first day for circulating this petition is January 1, and the deadline for filing this petition is 5:00 p.m. on April 1. Wis. Stat. § 5.62(2)(a). This petition must contain valid signatures of at least 10,000 Wisconsin electors, including at least 1,000 signatures of electors residing in each of at least 3 different congressional districts. Wis. Stat. § 5.62(2)(a). If the Commission finds the petition to be sufficient, the political organization may have its candidates for President and Vice President printed on the General Election ballot. Also, the party is entitled to a separate ballot for all partisan offices at the August Partisan Primary and for all other offices at the November General Election. The names of candidates for President and Vice President are selected by the organization's nominating committee or convention and placed on the General Election ballot when the committee certifies their names to the Wisconsin Elections Commission no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September. Each certified candidate must file a Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162) with the Wisconsin Elections Commission no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September. Wis. Stat. §§ 8.16(7), 8.21(1).
Petition Access
Petition / Independent Candidate Access
Independent Candidates for President and Vice President circulate and file nomination papers (EL-167). The first day for circulating nomination papers is July 1, and the deadline for filing with the Wisconsin Election Commission is 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in August. Wis. Stat. § 8.20(8)(am). The nomination papers must contain at least 2,000 and no more than 4,000 signatures of Wisconsin electors. In addition to filing nomination papers, an independent candidate is required to file a Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162) with the Wisconsin Election Commission no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in August. Wis. Stats. §§ 8.20(8)(am), 8.21. Independent candidates appear on the November General Election ballot only.
Write-In
Write-In Rules
Write-in information was not available in the source table.
Legal Citations
Source Citations
- Wis. Stat. §§ 5.62(2)(a), 8.16(7), 8.20(8)(am), 8.21
Source and Use
How to Read This Ballot Access Data
This reference is generated from NASS Summary: State Laws Regarding Presidential Ballot Access for the General Election.
- Primary source
- NASS ballot access summary PDF
- Coverage
- General-election presidential ballot access requirements by state, as summarized by NASS.
- Use note
- Informational reference only; verify current law with the state election office, current statutes, and legal counsel.
- These entries summarize general-election presidential ballot access rules for political party nominees, petition candidates, fee access where listed, and write-in candidacies.
- Ballot access law can change through statutes, court decisions, and state election guidance. Verify requirements with the state election office before relying on them.
- This reference does not state whether any candidate has qualified for a state ballot.
- This page is informational and is not legal advice or a filing procedure guide.