Wisconsin Voters Pass Two Constitutional Amendments and Reject a Third in November Election
Wisconsin voters approved two out of three proposed constitutional amendments during Tuesday’s election. The Cap Times reported that preliminary results compiled by The Associated Press show the measures moving forward despite warnings from Democrats and other critics that the proposals could unnecessarily hamper government functions.
Tuesday’s results bring the total number of approved legislative amendments to nine out of 15 attempts pursued during Governor Tony Evers’ two terms in office.
Governor’s Veto Power Narrowly Trimmed
The most tightly contested measure on the ballot limited the Wisconsin governor’s unique partial veto powers, passing with less than 51% of the vote with over 95% of precincts reporting. Among all US states, Wisconsin uniquely grants its chief executive a “partial veto” authority that previously permitted striking out specific words or sentences in a bill while approving the remainder into law. The governor remains prohibited from constructing a novel word by striking out individual letters across multiple words or assembling brand-new sentences by merging fragments from separate ones.
The Republican legislative push directly followed a controversial move by Gov. Tony Evers in 2023. At that time, the Democratic governor used a partial veto to allow school districts to raise property taxes for the next 400 years. Evers cut language like “the,” “24,” “school year and the 20,” as well as a hyphen in a state budget bill.
While David Crowley, the Democratic nominee who voters elected Tuesday to be Wisconsin’s next governor, and Evers opposed the amendment, Republicans’ gubernatorial nominee, Tom Tiffany, supported it. The newly approved amendment prohibits the governor from using the partial veto to raise taxes or fees.
Voters Reject Capacity Limits on Religious Gatherings
While the veto restriction cleared the narrow threshold, voters decisively rejected a separate Republican proposal that would have barred state and local governments from imposing capacity limits on religious gatherings during public health emergencies. With over 95% of precincts reporting, 52% of voters cast ballots against the measure.
Lawmakers originally drafted the constitutional amendment in response to emergency orders issued by Evers in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which capped religious gatherings to fewer than 10 people and sparked subsequent legal challenges.
Proponents, including Pro-Life Wisconsin, argued the amendment was intended to preserve religious liberty and assembly rights. In contrast, critics such as Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice expressed legal reservations concerning the initiative, arguing that it would impede public health measures.
DEI Ban Amendment Passes Amid Legal Debate
The third constitutional amendment on Tuesday’s ballot secured passage with about 56% of the vote, with over 95% of precincts reporting. The measure bans the state government from implementing laws that can be construed as disproportionately favoring one population over another.
This measure formed a component of a broader legislative campaign pursued by Republican lawmakers both within Wisconsin and nationwide aiming to restrict or outlaw practices tied to DEI, an abbreviation representing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Republicans said the proposed amendment would make discrimination against the law in Wisconsin. Existing state and federal statutes already prohibit discriminatory practices, specifically across employment, housing, and public accommodation sectors.
Voicing opposition to the measure, the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus cautioned that it would prevent the Legislature from enacting statutes needed to tackle genuine and urgent inequalities among distinct populations, especially regarding healthcare.
The Partisan Path to the Ballot Box
To amend the state constitution under Wisconsin statutes, the Legislature must approve a measure across two successive legislative sessions by a simple majority prior to submitting the question to the state’s electorate. Along party lines, both the state Senate and Assembly advanced all three ballot questions before they reached voters on Tuesday.
These latest voter approvals follow a dozen previous times during Evers’ two terms as governor in which Republicans sought to implement policies the Democratic governor could have vetoed if they tried to move the policies through legislative channels. Voters approved seven of the 12 previous amendments. Tuesday’s results bring that total to nine out of 15.
