Wisconsin Spring Election 2027: April 6, Nomination Papers From Dec. 1

Wisconsin’s spring election is Tuesday, April 6, 2027, according to the City of Madison Clerk’s Office, and the ballot includes the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat now held by Justice Annette Ziegler. Madison’s clerk also lists a spring primary on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2027 and says nomination papers can be circulated from Dec. 1, 2026. The timeline below runs from that first day to the end of Ziegler’s term on July 31, 2027, with weekdays computed. It names no candidates.

State pages were not readable on Nov. 13, 2026: the Wisconsin Legislature’s statute site returned a server error and the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) site refused automated access. The dates come from the Madison clerk and the Wisconsin Court System. Madison’s local-office dates may differ from the dates for other offices, so check your own municipal clerk.

Wisconsin spring election 2027 timeline

Date	What happens	Source
Tue., Dec. 1, 2026	First day to circulate nomination papers	City of Madison Clerk
Tue., Jan. 5, 2027	Nomination papers due at 5:00 pm (first Tuesday in January)	City of Madison Clerk
Fri., Jan. 8, 2027	Deadline to challenge nomination papers	City of Madison Clerk
Tue., Feb. 16, 2027	Spring primary, if needed	City of Madison Clerk
Wed., March 17, 2027	Last day to register by mail, by our count from the clerk’s 20-day rule	City of Madison Clerk
Tue., April 6, 2027	Spring election; polls open 7:00 am, close 8:00 pm	City of Madison Clerk
Sat., July 31, 2027	Ziegler’s current term expires	Wisconsin Court System

The Jan. 5 date is the first Tuesday in January 2027 as the clerk’s rule is written. The Jan. 8 challenge date is printed on Madison’s page and is Madison’s date. The spring primary is held only where more candidates file than a race allows, so it may not happen in every place.

Which Supreme Court seat is on the April 6 ballot?

The Wisconsin Court System said on March 30, 2026 that Ziegler “will, therefore, not be seeking reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2027.” Her justice page says “Her current term expires July 31, 2027.” PBS Wisconsin reported on March 9, 2026 that “The election to replace Ziegler is April 6, 2027,” so two sources agree on the date. Whether a statewide primary is needed for that seat depends on how many candidates file, and that is not yet known.

Other judicial and local offices vary by place; your municipal clerk lists them. In Madison, the clerk says the mayor and alder seats for odd-numbered districts are on the 2027 ballot.

When can candidates start circulating nomination papers?

Madison’s “Running for Local Office” page says the first day for circulating nomination papers is Dec. 1 (2026 for this cycle), 18 days after Nov. 13. It sets the filing deadline at 5:00 pm on the first Tuesday in January, which is Jan. 5, 2027, and a challenge deadline of Jan. 8. A candidate for another office should ask that office’s clerk for its own papers and dates.

What are the voter registration dates for April 6?

The Madison clerk’s “Voter Registration” page says to register by mail “at least 20 days before Election Day.” Counted back from April 6, that is Wednesday, March 17, 2027. The same page says you may register in the City Clerk’s Office up to two weeks before Election Day. We did not read a page on registering at the polls, so that option is not covered here.

The statewide absentee request deadline and the in-person absentee window are not yet posted on a state page we could read. Check My Vote Wisconsin and your municipal clerk before relying on a date.

How to use the Wisconsin deadline sheet

The free one-page deadline sheet lists the candidate and voter dates above in order, with the days before April 6, and prints the absentee dates and the statewide primary question as unconfirmed. For your own planning, use our February, March and April 2027 printable calendars. For the state’s 2026 ballot, see Wisconsin’s 2026 governor race and constitutional amendments, and for other states’ 2027 dates, the 2027 governor elections overview.