Is a single felony conviction sufficient to bar a person from holding an elected office?
Is a single felony conviction sufficient to bar a person from holding an elected office?
Yes. Article XIII, sec. 3 of the Wisconsin Constitution was amended
in November 1996 to prohibit a person from holding public office or from
appearing on a ballot for a state or local office if the person has
been convicted of a misdemeanor involving a violation of public trust or
a felony, and the person has not obtained a pardon for the conviction.
Before amendment, this provision declared a person ineligible for any
office of trust, profit or honor in Wisconsin if the person was
convicted of an “infamous” crime or was a “defaulter” to the United
States or Wisconsin or any Wisconsin county or town, or to any state or
territory within the United States. In a 1922 case, the Wisconsin
Supreme Court interpreted the “infamous crime” language to mean a
felony, but the Court later disavowed a court of appeals decision
holding that all felonies are infamous crimes. See Becker v. Green County, 176 Wis. 120, 124, 184 N.W. 715 (1921) and Law Enforcement Standards Bd. v. Lyndon Station,
101 Wis.2d 472, 497, 305 N.W.2d 89, 101 (1981). The constitutional
amendment was intended to remove any uncertainty regarding felonies.