Wisconsin Statutes

Wis. Stat. § 7.21 (2026)

Election commissioners, duties and regulations

✓ current as of July 2026

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7.217.21 Election commissioners, duties and regulations.

7.21(1)(1) All powers and duties assigned to the municipal or county clerk or the municipal or county board of canvassers under chs. 5 to 12 shall be carried out by the municipal or county board of election commissioners or its executive director, unless specifically retained or assigned in this section or s. 7.22.

7.21(2)(2) The county clerk shall serve as executive director of the county board of election commissioners. The clerk shall perform whatever duties the board of election commissioners assigns to him or her. An executive director of the city board of election commissioners shall be appointed under s. 62.51.

7.21(3)(3) The board of election commissioners is authorized to employ additional clerical assistants to carry out its necessary duties. The assistants’ salaries shall be fixed by the governing body of the municipality or county.

7.21(4)(4) The board of election commissioners may procure a seal to authenticate official papers and documents.

7.21(5)(5) The city council and county board shall provide office space in the city hall and county courthouse, respectively, pay all the necessary expenses, cooperate with the board of election commissioners, provide storage space for the election equipment and supplies and assist with the moving and conducting of the elections as necessary.

7.21 HistoryHistory: 1973 c. 334; 1979 c. 89; 1983 a. 36; 1983 a. 484 s. 172 (1), (2); 1985 a. 304 ss. 81, 155; 1987 a. 382; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 1999 a. 182; 2007 a. 1; 2013 a. 373.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1996–2024 · leading case: Timothy Zignego v. Wisconsin Elections Comm'n, 2020 WI App 17 (Wis. Ct. App. 2020).

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Timothy Zignego v. Wisconsin Elections Comm'n, 2020 WI App 17 (Wis. Ct. App. 2020). · cites it 4× “§ 7.21(1) delineates the duties of the “board of election commissioners” and states in pertinent part: All powers and duties assigned to the municipal … clerk or the municipal … board of canvassers under [WIS.”

Timothy Zignego v. Wisconsin Elections Comm'n, 2021 WI 32 (Wis. 2021). “Under § 7.21, "All powers and duties assigned to the municipal or county clerk or the municipal or county board of canvassers under chs.”

Milwaukee Branch of the N.A.A.C.P. v. Thompson, 935 F. Supp. 1419 (E.D. Wis. 1996). “Defendant, the Milwaukee County Board of Election Commissioners, is the responsible agency under § 7.21, Wis.Stats., for conducting judicial elections for Circuit Court in the First Judicial Administrative District and for appellate judges in Appellate District I.”

Trump v. The Wisconsin Elections Comm'n (E.D. Wis. 2020). · cites it 3× “See Wis. Stat. §7.21 . Defendants Tom Barrett, Satya Rhodes-Conway, Cory Mason, John Antaramian, and Eric Genrich are sued in their official capacities as the Mayors of Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha, and Green Bay.”

Rise, Inc. v. Wisconsin Elections Comm'n, 2024 WI App 48 (Wis. Ct. App. 2024). “Under this statute, when 22 In Wisconsin, in cities with a population over 500,000—currently, only the City of Milwaukee—the duties of the municipal clerk are carried out by a municipal board of election commissioners.”

— Wis. Stat. § 7.21(1) — 2 cases

Timothy Zignego v. Wisconsin Elections Comm'n, 2020 WI App 17 (Wis. Ct. App. 2020). “§ 7.21(1) delineates the duties of the “board of election commissioners” and states in pertinent part: All powers and duties assigned to the municipal … clerk or the municipal … board of canvassers under [WIS.”

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