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(2) Petition requirements.

(a) Every recall petition shall have on the face at the top in bold print the words "RECALL PETITION". Other requirements as to preparation and form of the petition shall be governed by s. 8.40.

(b) A recall petition for a city, village, town, town sanitary district, or school district office shall contain a statement of a reason for the recall which is related to the official responsibilities of the official for whom removal is sought.

(d) No petition may be offered for filing for the recall of an officer unless the petitioner first files a registration statement under s. 11.05 (1) or (2) with the filing officer with whom the petition is filed. The petitioner shall append to the registration a statement indicating his or her intent to circulate a recall petition, the name of the officer for whom recall is sought and, in the case of a petition for the recall of a city, village, town, town sanitary district, or school district officer, a statement of a reason for the recall which is related to the official responsibilities of the official for whom removal is sought. No petitioner may circulate a petition for the recall of an officer prior to completing registration. The last date that a petition for the recall of an officer may be offered for filing is 5 p.m. on the 60th day commencing after registration. After the recall petition has been offered for filing, no name may be added or removed. No signature may be counted unless the date of the signature is within the period provided in this paragraph.

(e) An individual signature on a petition sheet may not be counted if:

The signature is not dated.
The signature is dated outside the circulation period.
The signature is dated after the date of the certification contained on the petition sheet.
The residency of the signer of the petition sheet cannot be determined by the address given.
The signature is that of an individual who is not a resident of the jurisdiction or district from which the elective official being recalled is elected.
The signer has been adjudicated not to be a qualified elector on grounds of incompetency or limited incompetency as provided in s. 6.03 (3).
The signer is not a qualified elector by reason of age.
The circulator knew or should have known that the signer, for any other reason, was not a qualified elector.

9.10(2)(em)

(em) No signature on a petition sheet may be counted if:

The circulator fails to sign the certification of circulator.
The circulator is not a qualified circulator.

(f) The filing officer or agency shall review a verified challenge to a recall petition if it is made prior to certification.

(g) The burden of proof for any challenge rests with the individual bringing the challenge.

(h) Any challenge to the validity of signatures on the petition shall be presented by affidavit or other supporting evidence demonstrating a failure to comply with statutory requirements.

(i) If a challenger can establish that a person signed the recall petition more than once, the 2nd and subsequent signatures may not be counted.

(j) If a challenger demonstrates that someone other than the elector signed for the elector, the signature may not be counted, unless the elector is unable to sign due to physical disability and authorized another individual to sign in his or her behalf.

(k) If a challenger demonstrates that the date of a signature is altered and the alteration changes the validity of the signature, the signature may not be counted.

(L) If a challenger establishes that an individual is ineligible to sign the petition, the signature may not be counted.

(m) No signature may be stricken on the basis that the elector was not aware of the purpose of the petition, unless the purpose was misrepresented by the circulator.

(n) No signature may be stricken if the circulator fails to date the certification of circulator.

(p) If a signature on a petition sheet is crossed out by the petitioner before the sheet is offered for filing, the elimination of the signature does not affect the validity of other signatures on the petition sheet.

(q) Challenges are not limited to the categories set forth in pars. (i) to (L).

(r) A petitioner may file affidavits or other proof correcting insufficiencies, including but not limited to:

Failure of the circulator to sign the certification of circulator.
Failure of the circulator to include all necessary information.

(s) No petition for recall of an officer may be offered for filing prior to the expiration of one year after commencement of the term of office for which the officer is elected.