The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) is currently conducting its legally mandated four-year voter list maintenance, a process that will conclude on July 15, 2025. This procedure, required by state law, ensures the accuracy of Wisconsin’s official voter registration list, known as the WisVote database.
In mid-June, the WEC mailed postcards to over 200,000 individuals who are registered to vote but have not cast a ballot in the last four years. State law requires this mailing to occur every two years in odd-numbered years following a statewide election. To remain on the active voter list, recipients must sign and return the postcard to their municipal clerk by the July 15 deadline, confirming they still reside at the same address.
Under Wisconsin Statute § 6.50(3), voters who do not respond to the mailing, or whose postcard is returned as undeliverable, will have their status changed from “active” to “inactive” in the WisVote system. An inactive status does not remove a person’s name from the database entirely but does require them to re-register before they can vote in a future election. Voters can check their registration status at any time through the MyVote Wisconsin website.
This voter roll maintenance is a key component of Wisconsin’s compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. HAVA mandates that states maintain a single, uniform, official, centralized, and computerized statewide voter registration list that is regularly updated.
As of June 2025, the WisVote database contains records for both active and inactive voters. According to the WEC, there are approximately 3.7 million active registered voters in Wisconsin. The total number of records in the WisVote system, including inactive voters, has grown over time due to new registrations and the retention of inactive records as required by law.
Concerns have been raised by some regarding the size of the overall database in relation to the state’s population. Wisconsin’s population has seen modest growth since the 2000 U.S. Census. Following the 2000 Census, Wisconsin’s congressional representation was reduced from nine to eight seats due to reapportionment based on national population shifts.
The WEC maintains that the WisVote system has robust security protocols. Access is restricted to authorized state and local election officials, and the system undergoes regular security assessments to protect against unauthorized access. The commission works with state and federal partners to ensure the integrity of the voter registration data.
The 4-year maintenance process is a routine and legally required part of election administration in Wisconsin, aimed at ensuring that the voter rolls are as clean and up-to-date as possible for upcoming elections.
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