Guide to Computing Fees for Facsimile Ballots 2026.docx

December 20, 2018 January 1, 2026 Page 1

GUIDE TO COMPUTING FEES FOR PUBLISHING

ELECTION BALLOTS IN NEWSPAPERS 2026

The Department of Administration issues this guide to municipalities as an aid in determining the charges for publishing ballots. The information contained in this publication is for the period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. The laws governing this process are contained in Chapters 5, 10, and 985 Wisconsin Statutes. If you have any questions about this guide or the publication of ballots, contact Bill Goff, State Bureau of Procurement, phone (608) 266-1002, email: william2.goff@wisconsin.gov or mail to Bill Goff, Department of Administration, State Bureau of Procurement, 6th Floor, P. O. Box 7867, Madison, WI 53707-7867.

A complete listing of all certified newspapers is available through our VendorNet website, State Contract 505ENT-M25-RATECERT-00.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Ballots shall be published per the copy furnished by the county and municipal clerks. Unless directed otherwise by the election official, this material shall be published using the appropriate legal notice font and line rate from the newspapers certification. (Please refer to Ch. 5.94, Wis. Stats.)

Horizontal cut-off rules shall be provided above and below the ballot if there is other news or advertising material in adjacent areas. The horizontal rules should be positioned a reasonable distance away from the ballot -- approximately one-fourth inch -- and are included as part of the area occupied by the ballot when calculating fees.

Introductory and descriptive text includes material, which accompanies the ballot but is not part of the actual ballot. Fees for descriptive text are not calculated as ballots but at legal notice rates. Unless directed otherwise by the election official, this material shall be published using the appropriate legal notice typeface and line rate for each newspaper as certified by the State Bureau of Procurement. Municipalities may obtain current legal notice typeface and line rate information by requesting a copy of their newspapers current Legal Notice Rate Certification.

At their option, election officials may request publication of the introductory and descriptive text in a typeface other than that for which the newspaper is certified. The rate charged for such shall not exceed the regular commercial display-advertising rate of the publisher.

SIZE: Ballots may not be enlarged. If appropriate to provide a proper fit for a newspaper's standard column width, ballots may be reduced in size photographically. If reduced, the fee calculations are based on the area covered by the ballot as published, i.e., after it is reduced.

Chapter 10 of the Wisconsin Statutes provides the information necessary to publish election ballots in newspapers.

OPTICAL SCAN BALLOTS: These were developed after the requirements of Ch. 985 of the Wisconsin Statutes were established. Responsibility for readability lies with the county or municipality placing the notice.

COMPUTING RATES: Fees for publishing election ballots are calculated by area or space used. The fee is charged as if the area occupied by the ballot were set in the standard line described in Ch. 985.08 (2)(a), Wis. Stats.

“All legal notices shall be in Arial type face. A standard line shall be 6−point Arial on a 6−point leading without spacing between the lines, and 11 picas in length. One-inch equals 6 postscript pica and 72 postscript points. Nonstandard line lengths shall be allowed with adjustments in fees according to variations in line length.”

To calculate ballot rates use the current statute standard line rate of $0.9657 first insert and $0.7628 subsequent insertion, multiplying by 12 lines per inch, then dividing by 11 picas per column and applying the newspaper’s circulation adjustment.

Use the following worksheet to calculate the fees for ballots:

(d) $__________

INSERTION RATES: Use first insertion rates to calculate fees for the first date a notice or ballot is published. First insertion rates include an allowance for preparatory work by the publisher. Use subsequent insertion rates for repeat publications of the same notice or ballot, i.e., when no additional preparation is needed.

TEAR SHEETS: Upon request, a tear sheet proof of a multiple insertion notice shall be mailed to the advertiser or the advertiser's attorney within 72 hours after the first insertion, and an additional charge of $1 for such tear sheet proof may be made. (Please refer to Ch. 985.08 (8), Wis. Stats.)

AFFIDAVITS: The fee for an affidavit of publication shall be $1.00 (Please refer to s. 985.12(4), Wis. Stats.)

985.12(1) The affidavit of the editor, publisher, printer or proprietor of any newspaper, or of his or her foreman or principal clerk, of the publication of any legal notice, annexed to a copy of the notice clipped from the newspaper in either hard copy or electronic format, and specifying the date of each insertion, and the paper in which it was published, shall be received in all cases as presumptive evidence of the publication and of the facts stated therein.

MEASUREMENTS: For purposes of this certification, 1 inch = 6 picas = 72 points.

RENEWALS: Annually updated legal notice rate certifications will be issued to newspapers who meet the statutory requirements.