Wisconsin § 8.05 - Nomination in towns and villages.

§ 8.05. Nomination in towns and villages.

Every candidate for an elective office in a town or village shall be nominated under this section. 8.05(1) (1) Caucus. 8.05(1)(a) (a) When nomination papers are not used, there shall be a caucus to nominate candidates. The governing body shall between December 1 and January 1 decide the date of the caucus. The date of the caucus may be established between January 2 and January 21. When possible, preference should be given to having the caucus on January 21. 8.05(1)(b) (b) Whenever a caucus is held, the municipal clerk shall give notice of the date, time and place for the caucus by posting in the clerk’s office and by one publication in a newspaper under ch. 985 , at least 5 days before the date of the caucus. 8.05(1)(c) (c) The town chairperson or village president together with the municipal clerk shall serve as caucus officials. If the chairperson or president is a candidate, he or she shall call for the election of officials to conduct the caucus. The officials shall be elected by acclamation or ballot as the meeting directs. The electors attending the meeting shall select 2 tellers to canvass the vote for each office at the caucus. 8.05(1)(d) (d) Names of candidates shall be placed in nomination either by motion made and seconded from the floor or by writing the candidate’s name on a slip of paper distributed by the tellers to those electors attending the caucus. Only persons placed in nomination shall be voted on. 8.05(1)(e) (e) Nominations shall be made for one office at a time. Nominations for the office of town supervisor when supervisors are elected to unnumbered seats and nominations for the office of village trustee shall be considered together, and each elector voting at the caucus may cast as many votes as there are seats to be filled at the election. 8.05(1)(f) (f) Before balloting the caucus chairperson shall announce the names of all candidates placed in nomination. 8.05(1)(g) (g) The voting for each office shall be by ballot, but the caucus chairperson may dispense with voting by ballot when only one or 2 persons are nominated for the same office. 8.05(1)(h) (h) The 2 candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast for each office shall be nominated and certified by the caucus chairperson and tellers to the municipal clerk. If a town under s. 5.60 (6) elects its supervisors to unnumbered seats, candidates equal to twice the number of positions to be filled, who receive the most votes, shall be nominated and certified. 8.05(1)(i) (i) Village trustees, excluding the office of village president, shall be nominated together and at large. Candidates, equal to twice the number of positions to be filled, who receive the most votes, shall be nominated and certified. 8.05(1)(j) (j) 8.05(1)(j)1. 1. The municipal clerk shall notify in writing each candidate whose name is certified as a nominee under par. (h) of his or her nomination. If a municipal judge is elected under s. 755.01 (4) , the county clerk of the county having the largest portion of the population in the jurisdiction served by the judge shall make the notification. 8.05(1)(j)2. 2. Upon receipt of the notice, each candidate shall file a declaration of candidacy in the manner prescribed by s.