Election Process

The annual town meeting is a meeting of the town's electors, with those present comprising the body that is meeting. Any qualified elector present may make or second motions, participate in discussion of a matter and vote.

All actions are decided by a majority of the electors present and voting. There is no absentee or proxy voting allowed. The chair may recognize people who are not qualified electors and let them speak to the assembly but such people cannot make or second any motions or vote (most commonly such people are non-resident landowners).

Election Authority

Section 60.10 lists the vast majority of annual town meeting powers that can be acted upon. However, it is important to realize that the elector meeting is limited in authority. Actions on issues for which the electors have no legal authority to act are advisory only and without any legal effect.

Finally, note that in §60.10 many of the possible elector actions function as authorizations, not mandates, to the town board. For such matters the town board is not legally obligated to do anything and may still choose to do nothing in the end.

Wisconsin has a limited type of elector meeting that has to work in conjunction with the town board. Thus, such instances do not present a problem of legal substance and are instead issues of a simply political nature.