New Bill Would Cap the Cost of Obtaining Electronic List of Wisconsin Registered Voters

Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 -- 2:00 PM

(Jessie Opoien, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The cost to obtain an electronic list of every registered voter in Wisconsin would be capped at $250 under a new proposal from two Republican lawmakers.

According to Jessie Opoien with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, and Rep. Amy Binsfield, R-Sheboygan, sent a memo seeking co-sponsors for the legislation on Monday. The proposed $250 limit would be a significant reduction from the current fee.

Under current law, the cost to obtain the state's entire set of voter records is $12,500, an amount the two lawmakers said in the memo is out of reach for most citizens. The $12,500 figure is based on a $25 base fee, plus $5 per 1,000 records returned by the request.

The state currently has nearly 3.6 million registered voters. Without the $12,500 cap, based on the existing formula, the cost of the entire set of records would be about $18,000. The proposed legislation would apply the $250 limit to electronic records and would allow the Wisconsin Elections Commission to apply an additional fee for producing a physical copy of the list.

Under current law, that fee is 25 cents per printed page along with the cost of postage and shipping. State law currently requires the commission to determine the fee to obtain voter records by estimating, in consultation with local election officials, the cost to maintain and reproduce the list at the state and local levels.

There is no mechanism under state law to waive the fee. Voter records include a registered voter's name, address, which electoral districts they live in, which elections they've voted in and whether they voted in person or via absentee ballot.

They also include any additional contact information provided in that person's voter registration. Voter lists are often purchased by political parties and campaigns, as well as academic researchers. There are no restrictions on how voter files can be used.

According to information compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures and Ballotpedia, costs to obtain voter records in other states range from $0 to nearly $40,000, but most states charge less than $2,500.

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