The flurry of activity yesterday, culminating in the Wisconsin and U.S. Supreme Court rulings maintaining today’s spring election, means that Wisconsin school districts are having board elections and 57 referenda as scheduled. State law requires that districts report referendum results to DPI “within 10 days after the referendum is held.” Under the final court rulings, absentee ballots mailed today have until Monday, April 13 to be received and counted by municipal clerks, implying that district boards of canvassers will not be able to certify results until Tuesday, April 14 at the earliest.

Therefore, due to the current extraordinary circumstances, DPI will count the 10-day period from Monday, April 13, and referendum reports through SAFR will not be due until Thursday, April 23. We still encourage districts to complete their reports as soon as possible, and Roger Kordus will follow up directly with districts as usual for preliminary results on Tuesday the 14th.

– Dan Bush, Director