Just vote No.
Three constitutional amendments are on your ballot this fall. On all three, our recommendation is the same: vote No.
How an amendment gets on your ballot
A constitutional amendment does not become law the way an ordinary bill does. In Wisconsin it follows a separate three-step path, and one step is missing on purpose.
Pass the Legislature twice
The same amendment, in identical wording, must be approved by the Legislature in two consecutive sessions.
Skip the Governor
Unlike a normal bill, it is never sent to the Governor for a signature and it cannot be vetoed. This is the step that lets the majority go around Gov. Evers.
Voters decide
It goes to a statewide referendum. A simple majority of the people who vote on the question is enough to change the constitution.
Because there is no minimum turnout and no supermajority requirement, a low-turnout election can write a lasting change into the state constitution, and undoing it later takes the same long two-session-plus-referendum process. That is why what is on the ballot this fall deserves a close read. (Source: Wisconsin Constitution, Article XII.)
What it really does
Wisconsin’s governor has an unusually broad line-item (partial) veto. This would carve taxes and fees out of that power. It is a direct response to Gov. Evers’ 2023 partial veto that extended a school revenue-limit increase (the widely reported “400-year” veto).
Why vote No
A policy disagreement over school funding should be settled through the normal legislative process, not by permanently rewriting the constitution to hobble one office after a single veto the majority disliked. Locking a budget tactic into the constitution is the wrong tool for a spending fight.
- Americans for Prosperity
- MacIver Impact
- National Federation of Independent Business
- Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
- Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
- Wisconsin Property Taxpayers
- Wisconsin Realtors Association
- League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Education Association Council
What it really does
It would bar state and local government from closing, or limiting gatherings at, places of worship during any emergency, including a public health emergency. It grew out of the COVID-19 orders that restricted large gatherings. To be fair: it does not force any congregation to stay open. Each place of worship still decides for itself how to operate.
Why vote No
It removes a public-health tool during a genuine emergency and singles out one category of gathering for a permanent constitutional exemption. How to respond to the next public-health crisis should weigh the facts on the ground, not be decided in advance by the constitution.
- Pro-Life Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Family Action
- League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
What it really does
Government discrimination is already illegal in Wisconsin and nationwide. The new language here is “preferential treatment,” a phrase with no settled meaning that invites lawsuits. It would also bind any private, for-profit, or nonprofit group that contracts with government or uses public facilities.
Why vote No
It duplicates anti-discrimination protections we already have while adding a vague standard that could sweep in programs people rely on: Head Start, maternal and infant health programs, support for minority-owned businesses, language interpreters, and school curricula. Sweeping, open-ended text belongs in statute, if anywhere, not the constitution.
- Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
- American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin
- League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
Counting these three, Wisconsin Republicans have put 12 proposed constitutional amendments in front of voters since 2020. Voters have already rejected two of them. This process has become a routine end-run around the normal way we make law.
Sources
Ballot questions and origin. Q1 = Senate Joint Resolution 116; Q2 = Assembly Joint Resolution 10; Q3 = Assembly Joint Resolution 102 (Wisconsin Legislature, SJR 116, AJR 10, AJR 102). Overview and history: Ballotpedia, Wisconsin 2026 ballot measures; Wisconsin Public Radio.
Q1 partial veto. Ties to Gov. Evers’ 2023 school revenue-limit partial veto (widely reported). Q3 preferential treatment. Ballotpedia amendment page.
Amendment count since 2020. Seven amendments approved and two rejected have already been decided; with these three pending, that is 12 proposed since 2020 (Ballotpedia).
Supporters, opponents, and further reading. League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Constitutional Corner.
Make a plan to vote No, then bring a friend.
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