Sen. Carpenter of Wisconsin Senate authors bill allowing cross-party voting in primaries

The new bill authored by State Sen. Tim Carpenter seeks to expand voter choice in Wisconsin partisan primaries by allowing selection of candidates regardless of party affiliation, according to the Wisconsin State Senate.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s official website, the bill was described as follows: “authorizing electors to vote in the primary of more than one political party. (FE)”.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill allows voters in Wisconsin partisan primaries to vote for candidates across different political parties, enabling ticket-splitting where electors can choose their preferred candidate for each office regardless of party affiliation. It also permits voters to select independent candidates while still voting for party candidates in state or county offices. The bill does not change the voting process for general elections or other partisan elections. It makes several modifications to existing statutes around voting procedures, ballot preparation, and political party representation on ballots. The new procedure will be effective for the 2026 partisan primary election.

The bill was co-authored by Representative Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (Democrat-8th District), Senator Sarah Keyeski (Democrat-14th District), Senator Jamie Wall (Democrat-30th District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Mike Bare (Democrat-80th District), Representative Angelina M. Cruz (Democrat-62nd District), and Representative Alex R. Joers (Democrat-81st District), along two other co-sponsors.

Tim Carpenter has authored or co-authored another 65 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with all of them being adopted.

Carpenter graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1982 with a BA.

Carpenter, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2003 to represent the state’s 3rd Senate district, replacing previous state senator Brian Burke.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.