Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 8.40

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Municipality: includes cities and villages; it may be construed to include towns. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Qualified: when applied to any person elected or appointed to office, means that such person has done those things which the person was by law required to do before entering upon the duties of the person's office. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
   (1)    In addition to any other requirements provided by law, each separate sheet of each petition for an election, including a referendum, shall have on the face at the top in boldface print the word “PETITION”. Each signer of such a petition shall affix his or her signature to the petition, accompanied by his or her municipality of residence for voting purposes, the street and number, if any, on which the signer resides, and the date of signing. In addition, each signer shall legibly print his or her name in a space provided next to his or her signature. No signature is valid under this subsection unless the signer satisfies the requirements under this subsection.
   (2)   The certification of a qualified circulator stating his or her residence with street and number, if any, shall appear at the bottom of each separate sheet of each petition specified in sub. (1), stating that he or she personally circulated the petition and personally obtained each of the signatures; that the circulator knows that they are electors of the jurisdiction or district in which the petition is circulated; that the circulator knows that they signed the paper with full knowledge of its content; that the circulator knows their respective residences given; that the circulator knows that each signer signed on the date stated opposite his or her name; that the circulator is a qualified elector of this state, or if not a qualified elector of this state, that the circulator is a U.S. citizen age 18 or older who, if he or she were a resident of this state, would not be disqualified from voting under s. 6.03; and that the circulator is aware that falsifying the certification is punishable under s. 12.13 (3) (a). The circulator shall indicate the date that he or she makes the certification next to his or her signature.
   (3)   The commission shall, by rule, prescribe standards consistent with this chapter and s. 9.10 (2) to be used by all election officials and governing bodies in determining the validity of petitions for elections and signatures thereon.