In La Crosse, Gov. Evers urges votes against two Wisconsin constitutional amendment questions on ballot

Wisconsin’s governor is calling on voters to say “no” to two statewide constitutional amendments on the primary ballot.

Early voting starts Tuesday for the primary that ends Aug. 13.

Gov. Tony Evers spoke Monday in La Crosse, arguing that passing the two amendments would give legislators more power to determine how federal funding is used in Wisconsin.

“Question 1 and 2, it’s on the backside of the ballot, vote no,” Evers told reporters, while visiting Larson’s General store in downtown La Crosse.

These would be the the fifth and sixth amendments Republicans have put on Wisconsin ballots in the past two years. One more is coming in November’s election.

Opponents of the amendments argue the questions are confusing to voters, plus their passage would tie up distributing federal emergency relief funding, by causing the legislature — which is currently out of session for the last eight months of the year, again — to meet and decide where that money should go.

Larson’s owner Mary Larson wants businesses to be able to obtain that funding as soon as possible, when needed.

“As a small business owner, especially going through COVID, we saw the effects that it had on our business, on our economy, on our families, on our jobs,” Larson says, “and the ability to have swift access to funding really kept us afloat during that time.”

The League of Women Voters in Wisconsin also urges a ‘no’ vote on the two amendments.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT QUESTIONS

1) “Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35 (1) of article IV of the constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?”

2) “Allocation of federal moneys. Shall section 35 (2) of article IV of the constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?”

State Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) said during the La Crosse stop that Republicans are playing partisan games.

“Make no mistake,” Pfaff said, “these amendments are more of the same old dirty tricks and power grab that sadly we, all of us, have become accustomed to.”

Evers added that businesses, farms, and others are well-supported by funding from Washington the way things are set up now.\

Along with Republicans, supporters of the amendments include Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce along with conservative think tank, the Badger Institute.

From 2023 through 2024, Wisconsin Republicans will have put eight constitutional amendments on the ballot. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio have had six combined.

The Republican-authored amendments had zero Democratic input. Ballot questions requested by the governor in the past have been denied by Republicans, who control the state Legislature and what questions can go on the ballot.

Theses amendments are meant to curtail the governor’s powers, yet weren’t proposed while Republican Scott Walker was in power.

In August of 2018, Walker flew by helicopter to Coon Valley to check out flooding and by October had requested from then-President Donald Trump a federal disaster declaration for multiple counties, including La Crosse and Vernon counties.

Evers made stops around the state to speak out against the amendments.