Wisconsin SB 1130 Establishes Ranked-Choice Voting for Federal, State, and Local Elections

Original title: An Act to repeal 5.02 (22), 5.58, 8.05 (3), 8.05 (5), 8.11, 8.13, 10.02 (3) (b) 4., 10.06 (2) (b), 10.06 (2) (d), 10.06 (3) (as), 10.06 (3) (b), 11.0101 (33), 11.0204 (2), 11.0304 (2), 11.0504 (2), 11.0604 (2), 11.0704 (2), 11.0804 (2), 60.10 (1) (c) 2., 117.22 (2) (e) and 120.06 (7) (b); to renumber 60.10 (1) (c) 1. and 120.06 (7) (a); to renumber and amend 7.60 (4) (c); to amend 5.01 (4) (a), 5.01 (4) (b), 5.01 (4) (c), 5.01 (5), 5.02 (19), 5.02 (20r), 5.15 (6) (b), 5.60 (1) (ag), 5.64 (1) (ar) 1m., 5.64 (1) (ar) 2., 5.66 (1), 5.68 (5), 7.08 (1) (c), 7.10 (6), 7.50 (1) (b), 7.50 (1) (c), 7.50 (2) (intro.), 7.50 (2) (hm), 7.51 (4) (a), 7.51 (5) (a) 3., 7.53 (1) (a), 7.53 (2) (d), 7.53 (3) (a), 7.53 (3) (b), 7.60 (4) (a), 7.60 (4) (b), 7.70 (3) (a), 8.05 (4) (a), 8.10 (1), 8.17 (1) (a), 8.17 (4), 8.17 (5) (b), 8.50 (2) (a), 8.50 (2) (b), 8.50 (3) (a), 8.50 (3) (b), 10.01 (2) (d), 10.01 (2) (e), 10.02 (3) (intro.), 10.06 (1) (c), 10.06 (1) (e), 10.06 (3) (am), 10.06 (3) (bm), 10.06 (3) (f), 10.06 (4) (g), 11.0101 (29), 11.0204 (3) (a), 11.0304 (3) (a), 11.0504 (3) (a), 11.0604 (3) (a), 11.0804 (3) (a), 38.16 (3) (br) 1., 59.17 (7), 59.605 (3) (a) 1., 64.04 (2), 66.0602 (4) (a), 66.0619 (2m) (b), 66.0921 (2), 67.05 (6a) (a) 2. a., 67.05 (6m) (b), 67.12 (12) (e) 5., 77.994 (3) (b) 2. b., 119.08 (2), 120.06 (8) (a), 120.06 (8) (b), 120.06 (8) (c) (intro.), 120.06 (8) (d), 120.06 (8) (f), 120.06 (8) (g), 120.06 (8) (h), 120.06 (9) (a), 121.91 (3) (a) 1. and 995.20; to create 5.05 (1) (g), 5.20, 6.80 (2) (g), 7.60 (4) (c) 3., 7.60 (4) (c) 4., 7.62, 8.05 (1) (L), 10.02 (4), 11.0204 (3) (am), 11.0304 (3) (am), 11.0504 (3) (am), 11.0604 (3) (am), 11.0804 (3) (am), 20.510 (1) (ed) and 20.510 (1) (em) of the statutes; Relating to: ranked-choice voting, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

Last action · May 13, 2026: Fiscal estimate receivedSponsors: Mark Spreitzer and 19 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

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What This Bill Proposed

This bill requires for all federal, state, and local elections in Wisconsin, excluding recall elections. Under the measure, voters may rank candidates in order of preference, and votes are reallocated in subsequent rounds of counting until a candidate achieves a majority.

Why it matters

Changes the mechanics of how ballots are marked and how election winners are determined across all levels of government in Wisconsin, replacing traditional plurality voting with a multi-round preference elimination system.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Wisconsin voters

Voters are permitted to indicate sequential preferences for all candidates on the ballot for federal, state, and local offices.

Directly affected

counties and municipalities

Local governments administer elections and are eligible for state grants from the Elections Commission to update equipment and software.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does ranked-choice voting work under this bill?

Voters can rank candidates in sequential order of preference (first choice, second choice, etc.). If a candidate achieves a majority of first-choice votes, they win. If not, the lowest-ranking candidate is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the voters' next choices until a candidate wins a majority.

Are recall elections subject to ranked-choice voting?

No, recall elections for federal, state, and local officials are explicitly excluded from the requirement.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Failed in the Senate.

Procedural history

4 actions

May 13, 2026Senate
Fiscal estimate received
Mar 23, 2026Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Mar 19, 2026SenateIntroduced
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development
Mar 19, 2026SenateIntroduced
Introduced by Senators Spreitzer, Pfaff, Larson, Dassler-Alfheim and Roys; cosponsored by Representatives Anderson, Brown, Clancy, Emerson, Hong, Moore Omokunde, Rivera-Wagner, Sheehan, Sinicki, Subeck, Stroud, Stubbs, Tenorio, Udell and Palmeri

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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