In Wisconsin, voters can recall a city, village, town, town sanitary district or school district official by petition under state statute (Wis. Stat. 9.10). The petition needs signatures from at least 25 percent of the vote cast for governor at the last election in the official's district. It cannot be offered for filing until the official has been in office for one year of the current term, and it must be offered for filing by 5 p.m. on the 60th day after the recall committee registers. If the petition is sufficient, a recall election is held, and a recall primary is held if more than two candidates qualify.
The process has a fixed order: register a recall committee, write the petition with a stated reason, collect signatures within 60 days, file with the right official, and then wait for review and certification. This explainer walks through each step. Rules come from the Wisconsin Constitution and Wisconsin statutes. Because recall is a legal process with strict requirements, talk with the filing officer and, if you can, an election attorney before you circulate.
For the regular way to change who holds local office, by running at the spring election, see our guide to running for local office in Wisconsin.
Two sources of recall law
Wisconsin has two separate legal bases for recall, and it matters which one applies.
The state constitution: state, district and county officers
Article XIII, section 12 of the Wisconsin Constitution covers state officers, members of Congress, judges, legislators and other district officers, and county officers. A recall petition may be filed after the first year of the term and must be signed by electors equal to 25 percent of the vote for governor at the last preceding election in the district.
State statute: city, village, town and school officials
The constitution does not itself cover municipal or school officials. They are recallable by statute. Wisconsin Statute 9.10 applies to officials of:
- Cities
- Villages
- Towns
- Town sanitary districts
- School districts
The rest of this explainer focuses on the statutory process for these local officials.
Step 1: Learn the signature number
A recall petition for a local official needs signatures equal to at least 25 percent of the vote for governor at the last election in the official's district (Wis. Stat. 9.10(1)(b)). Because this depends on turnout in the district, the number differs for every office.
You do not have to calculate it yourself. The filing officer will certify the number of signatures required if you ask (Wis. Stat. 9.10(1)(d)). Ask for that certification in writing before you begin, so the whole committee works toward the same target.
Who the filing officer is
The petition is filed with the same official who receives nomination papers or declarations for that office (Wis. Stat. 9.10(1)(a)). For city, village and town offices that is generally the municipal clerk (in Milwaukee, the city election commission). For school board, it is the school district clerk.
Step 2: Check the one-year rule
No recall petition may be offered for filing before one year after the official's term began (Wis. Stat. 9.10(2)(s)). Find the start date of the official's current term from the clerk, and count forward one year. Plan your 60-day circulation period so that the filing date falls after that point.
Step 3: Register a recall committee before you circulate
Before anyone collects a signature, the people organizing the recall must register as a recall committee under Wisconsin campaign finance law (Wis. Stat. 11.0902; 9.10(2)(d)). Ask the filing officer or the Wisconsin Ethics Commission where and how to file the registration for your recall.
Registration starts the clock. The petition must be offered for filing by 5 p.m. on the 60th day after registration (Wis. Stat. 9.10(2)(d)). Do not register until you have volunteers, materials and a schedule ready, because the 60 days begin when you register, not when you start knocking on doors.
Step 4: Prepare the petition
A recall petition must follow the required form:
- The header reads "RECALL PETITION" (Wis. Stat. 9.10(2)(a)).
- The form is governed by Wisconsin Statute 8.40, which covers petition format.
- For a local official, the petition must state a reason for the recall that is related to the official's responsibilities (Wis. Stat. 9.10(2)(b)).
Ask the filing officer for the current form and any instructions they provide. Have the petition reviewed before you print it, so that a form error does not put your signatures at risk.
Step 5: Collect signatures within 60 days
With the committee registered and the petition ready, circulators (the people who collect the signatures) have 60 days to gather enough valid signatures. Some practical points:
- Aim above the certified number. Signatures can be struck during review. Collecting a margin above the minimum protects the petition.
- Plan by week. Divide the 60 days into weeks and set a signature goal for each one, so you know early whether you are on pace.
- Review sheets as they come in. Check each completed page for missing information while there is still time to collect replacements.
- Keep track of where you have been. If you are going door to door, Beacon, our canvassing app, can assign neighborhoods to circulators, route them door to door, and record which doors were visited and whether the person signed, using a simple survey question.
Ask the filing officer about the requirements for signers and circulators on a recall petition, since those come from the petition statutes and the official's instructions.
Step 6: File the petition and follow the review
File the petition with the filing officer by 5 p.m. on the 60th day after registration. After filing, the statute sets out the review (Wis. Stat. 9.10(4)):
- Challenge by the official. The official being recalled may challenge the petition within 10 days.
- Certification. The clerk determines whether the petition is sufficient and certifies it within 31 days.
- Recall election. If the petition is certified, the recall election is held on the Tuesday of the sixth week after certification.
- Recall primary. If more than two candidates run, a recall primary is held.
Ask the clerk to walk you through how these steps will work for your office, including how candidates qualify for the recall election.
How a recall differs from running at the spring election
A recall is a separate election triggered by a petition. Running at the regular spring election is a different path, with nomination papers or a caucus, a January 5 filing deadline for the April 6, 2027 election, and no 25 percent signature requirement. Spring candidates need 20 to 100 signatures for village and town offices, for example. If the official's term is ending soon anyway, running a candidate at the next spring election may be simpler than a recall.
Coordinating a recall drive with CampaignCNX+
A 60-day drive depends on keeping volunteers organized. CampaignCNX+ helps a registered committee keep its people informed.
- Add volunteers who agreed to receive texts. Record in a custom field when and how each person gave written permission. Signing a recall petition is not permission to receive texts.
- Group them by role. Tag people as "circulators," "sheet reviewers" or "drivers," and send each group only the messages that apply to it, such as a weekend signature schedule.
- Work replies as a team. Replies come into a shared two-way inbox that your team members can work together. Opt-outs are handled automatically, and messages are scheduled only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Political texting from a local-style number requires carrier registration, called 10DLC (the registration the carriers, or mobile phone companies, require), and Campaign Verify, a check that confirms the sender is a real political committee. Campaign Verify requires a 527 committee (the federal tax status of a political committee), an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing published online by an election authority. Ask Campaign Verify Support whether your recall committee qualifies before you request it. CampaignCNX+ files the carrier registration for you and guides you through the Campaign Verify request. Every new account includes 100 free SMS, and your number is $5 a month.
For message ideas, see our campaign text templates for local races. For how the setup works, see our political texting guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can any local official in Wisconsin be recalled?
City, village, town, town sanitary district and school district officials are recallable under Wis. Stat. 9.10. County officers and other state and district officers are covered by the Wisconsin Constitution.
How many signatures does a recall petition need?
At least 25 percent of the vote for governor at the last election in the official's district. The filing officer will certify the exact number on request.
When can a recall petition be filed?
Not before one year after the official's term began, and no later than 5 p.m. on the 60th day after the recall committee registers.
Does the petition need a reason?
Yes, for local officials. The petition must state a reason related to the official's responsibilities.
Organize your volunteers
Once your committee is registered, set up your account and keep your circulators informed through the 60 days.