Senate backs bill to allow candidates to withdraw from ballot
The Senate today approved three election-related bills, sending one to the governor that would allow candidates to be withdrawn from the ballot without first having died.
The withdrawal proposal, which passed 19-14 was prompted by former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s inability to get his name off the ballot in Wisconsin after turning in nomination papers that qualified him to be listed. Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim, D-Appleton, was the only Dem who voted in favor.
Current law prohibits candidates from being removed from the ballot after submitting nomination papers unless they die. AB 35 would create a new path for candidates to withdraw from the ballot after submitting nomination papers.
Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said he’s generally in favor of the bill, but raised concerns that it lacks a mechanism for a party to replace their primary winner on the general election ballot should the primary victor decide to drop out.
https://www.wispolitics.com/2025/senate-backs-bill-to-allow-candidates-to-withdraw-from-ballot/