Vote NO in AUGUST, Wisconsin!

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Imagine we have a pandemic. (Sigh...) Let’s say that people are dying in Wisconsin, and the state needs help. Can the Governor act quickly to accept federal funds to help address the crisis? You bet he can! According to our state constitution (Chapter 16, Section 54), the governor has authority to accept federal moneys on behalf of the state and to allocate that funding without the specific approval of the legislature.

Has he ever done that? Oh, yes – that pandemic. The Wisconsin Policy Forum, using the state’s own data, estimated the fiscal impact of the CARES Act and ARPA to have been $19.9 billion. Four billion of that went to unemployment – remember all the businesses that closed and the people who couldn’t work? Nearly $4 billion more went to education as our public schools scrambled to adjust to the concept of distance learning for little tots. $800 million went to children and families, and another $800 million to transportation. And so it went... We got through it with some federal help.

Now our Republican state legislature wants to make sure the Governor never again has a chance to accept or allocate federal funding UNLESS THEY ALL GET TOGETHER in a JOINT SESSION and GIVE HIM PERMISSION! They’ve got two referendum items on your August ballot, and both are aimed specifically at tying the Governor’s hands so that, in case of an emergency, he cannot accept a dime of federal money until they all drive down to Madison and saunter into the chamber and start the wheels of government rolling: Theywill decide – or not!

Both referenda aim at amending the state constitution, specifically Article IV, Section 35. One would require the state legislature to approve any expenditure of federal funds via a joint resolution, as described above. The other one would make it impossible for the legislature ever to give up this power, ensuring it will never delegate its power to appropriate money to, say, a duly elected governor. A sensible organization called Wisconsin Votes No sees this as an attempt to eliminate checks and balances “by trying to trick voters into giving sole power for spending federal funds to the legislature.”

Both these proposals, which could block a needed emergency response, received unanimous support by Republican legislators. Clearly they want to add more gridlock to what is already an unproductive legislature. But saner voices can be heard. Jennifer Giegerich of Wisconsin Conservation Voters explains that passage of these two ballot measures would “add another level of government process during times when we are most vulnerable and depend on efficiency and a smooth process to receive much needed support.” (like a pandemic, for example, or a flood or tornado or wildfire) Nick Ramos of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says these constitutional changes would “allow lawmakers to stonewall the Governor... before [he] can spend federal dollars that are appropriated to Wisconsin. We do not need red tape when emergencies and natural disasters happen in Wisconsin.”

Now, why are these sneaky people putting constitutional amendments on our August ballot?! Well, because the fall primary is usually a low-turnout election. Many of our favorite candidates won’t even have primary contests, so we’ll just wait to vote until November – we won’t show up. NO! That’s what they’re counting on! Even worse, they’ve written these amendments to be deliberately confusing. They don’t want you to understand them, and they don’t even want you to show up at the polls and vote in August!

So, what are we going to do, Wisconsin? Three things:

  • Vote on August 13 –  NO on both ballot items.

  • Flip the legislature by electing clear-thinking progressives who aim to serve all.

  • Spread the word; help your friends understand this deception.

In case you’re wondering about this organization called Wisconsin Votes No, these are the organizations represented:

  • Wisconsin Conservation Voters

  • Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin

  • Power to the Polls

  • Blue Green Alliance

  • Evergreen Action

  • Wisconsin Farmers Union

  • The Wisco Project

 Go here to learn about Wisconsin Votes No.

 And, of course, you can count on the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin to steer you in the right direction too.