860                       WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1987-1988

  ity, sickness, handicap, age, disability, military service, jury duty or
religious reasons, may vote
  by absentee ballot.
    When the polls close, the inspectors canvass the votes and deliver one
tally sheet statement and
 poll list each to the county clerk and to the municipal clerk. Where electronic
voting systems are
 used, the count may be adjourned to a central location. The county clerk
and 2 qualified electors
 of the county appointed by him (including one from another political party)
constitute the
 county board of canvassers, which examines the returns. One statement of
the results is filed in
 the county clerk's office; another statement, to which is attached a tabulation
of votes cast at each
 polling place for each candidate, goes to the state Elections Board. The
county clerk also issues
 certificates of election to the elected officials within the county.
   The Board of State Canvassers, consisting of the chairperson of the state
Elections Board,
 state treasurer, and attorney general, meets after each election to examine
the certified statements
 of the county canvassers. The board makes a statement of the votes cast
for each office and
 determines who has been elected. The Elections Board then issues certificates
of election to all
 persons elected to a state office. The board also issues certificates or
prepares certificates for
 issuance by the governor to persons elected to national offices from this
state.

                                     Campaign Financing
   The regulation of campaign financing in Wisconsin was substantially revised
by Chapter 334,
 Laws of 1973, with the intent of furnishing the voters with complete information
as to who is
 supporting or opposing which candidate or cause and to what extent, either
directly or indirectly.
 Substantive changes have been made in most sessions since then. Chapter
11 of the Wisconsin
 Statutes regulates campaign financing.
   Duties of the State Elections Board. The state Elections Board furnishes
candidates and com-
 mittees with forms for making reports, furnishes manuals setting forth recommended
methods of
 bookkeeping and reporting, compiles and maintains a current list of all
reports and statements
 pertaining to each candidate, individual, committee or group, and prepares
special reports. It
 may include in its biennial report any statistics compiled by it concerning
the total contributions
 and expenditures of candidates and committees, amounts over $100 contributed
by contributors,
 and additional data. It investigates violations of the election laws and
must notify the district
 attorney, the attorney general or the governor of any facts within its knowledge
or evidence in its
 possession that might be grounds for civil action or criminal prosecution.
Similar requirements
 are made with regard to financial reporting in local elections.
   The board also supervises the auditing of campaign finance reports submitted
in connection
with state elections.
   Contributions and Disbursements. Every political party committee, other
political committee
or political group which makes or accepts contributions or makes disbursements
in an amount
exceeding $25 per year and every individual who accepts contributions or
makes disbursements
in an amount exceeding $25 per year files a registration statement with the
appropriate filing
officer (the Elections Board is the filing officer for all state and national
offices and statewide
referenda). A candidate must file a statement for any amount. The statement
includes such
items as the name and address of the registrant, the officers, the campaign
depository, and the
names of the candidates or the nature of the referendum supported or opposed.
   Subsequently, such committees, groups or individuals must file full reports
of all contributions
received, obligations incurred and disbursements made, including the name,
address and total
contribution of each contributor donating over $20; an itemization of disbursements
over $20 to
other registrants; and a separate statement giving the name, address, occupation,
place of em-
ployment and amount contributed by any contributor donating more than $100
in any calendar
year or in the case of a conduit transferring contributions made by another,
more than $50 in any
calendar year. Nonresident committees, groups or individuals making contributions
or dis-
bursements in this state must also file their names and addresses and that
of a designated agent in
the state with the secretary of state. Registrants whose financial activity
does not exceed $1,000
per year may be exempted from reporting.
  Single Campaign Treasurer. Each candidate must appoint one campaign treasurer
and desig-
nate one campaign depository before receiving any contributions or making
any disbursements.
Each candidate and his campaign treasurer must file a registration statement.
Unless exempted