Two of three constitutional amendments pass in state

Voters in the state approved two of the three constitutional amendments that were on the Nov. 3 ballot, while those in Vilas and Oneida came out in support of all three.

The measures were passed in two consecutive legislative sessions by the Republican-controlled Legislature before being placed on the ballot for voters to decide.

A proposal to limit the governor’s veto power was narrowly passed with 50.7% voting yes statewide and 49.3% voting no. In Vilas and Oneida, it passed by a wider margin of 7,525 to 4,957 in Vilas (60.3% to 39.7%) and 11,197 to 8,169 (57.8% to 42.2%) in Oneida.

The rule was sparked after Gov. Tony Evers used some creative partial vetoing of numbers in the 2023 amended budget to allow school districts to raise revenue by increasing taxes. The original text passed by legislators okayed it for the “2024-25” school year, after which he used the line-item veto to change to “2425.” Republicans blasted the move as an abuse of power, dubbing it the “400-year veto.”

The passage will limit a governor’s ability to use vetoes like that going forward, allowing them to strike spending items or reduce appropriation levels, but no longer rearrange text or numbers in a state budget if it results in creating a new tax or fee, or raising existing rates.

A question that would have prohibited state or local governments from ordering the closure of, or forbidding gatherings in, places of worship during a declared state of emergency was rejected by voters in the state 52% to 48%. Locally, voters in Vilas approved the measure 7,421 to 5,201 (58.8% to 41.2%), as did Oneida, with 10,857 to 8,600 (55.8% to 44.2%).

The proposed amendment sprung from emergency orders early during the Covid-19 pandemic that limited indoor religious gatherings to fewer than 10 people. Voters decreed that emergency power will remain with state public health officials.

The third proposed amendment prohibiting state and local governmental entities from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to individuals or groups based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, contracting, or administration was passed with 56.4% voting yes and 43.6% voting no. In Vilas and Oneida counties, voters okayed the measure 8,228 to 4,203 (66.2% to 33.8%) and 12,268 to 7,043 (63.5% to 36.5%), respectively.

The amendment bars governments, local school boards, the Universities of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Technical College System from disparate treatment on the basis of race, sex, national origin or ethnicity.