In this guest column, Sen. Romaine Quinn explains the three referendum questions that will appear on Wisconsin voters’ ballots in November and shares his perspective on each proposed constitutional amendment.
Guest Column
In November’s election, three referendum questions will appear on your ballot. Voters will decide issues including the governor’s partial veto authority, the freedom to gather in places of worship, and prohibiting governmental entity discrimination. Constituents often ask me about questions on the ballot because the legal wording can be confusing, so I thought I would share more information to help you decide on these votes.
The first question involves the partial veto authority of the governor. It will appear on your ballot as follows:
“QUESTION 1: “Partial veto. Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee?”
A “Yes” vote will ensure that Wisconsin’s governor will not be able to create a new tax or raise taxes by using a partial veto. For example, in a past budget Governor Evers crossed out numbers and a hyphen to create the 400-year property tax increase. A “No” vote will leave the current practice in place, allowing any future governor to raise taxes without approval by the legislature.
The second question is about freedom to gather in places of worship and reads:
“QUESTION 2: "Freedom to gather in places of worship during an emergency. Shall section 18 of article I of the constitution, which deals with religious liberty, be amended to prohibit the state or a political subdivision of the state from ordering the closure of, or forbidding gatherings in, places of worship in response to a state of emergency, including a public health emergency?”
During the time of COVID-19 in 2020, Governor Evers’ stay-at-home order limited gatherings to fewer than 10 people in a room. Even after the statewide order ended, Dane County initially singled out churches by capping them to 50 people. That meant some churches in Madison would have been limited to 5% capacity, while other places like bars, restaurants, and movie theaters were open to 25% capacity.
A ”Yes” vote will amend the state constitution to ensure that freedom of worship is protected from the government limiting or closing church gatherings during a state of emergency, including a public health emergency. A “No” vote would continue to allow state and local governments to prohibit religious gatherings during such a time.
Finally, the third question addresses discrimination by government, with the question asking:
“QUESTION 3: "Governmental entity discrimination prohibited. Shall section 27 of article I of the constitution be created to prohibit governmental entities in the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group since race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration?"
A “Yes” vote would prevent state and local governments from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment based on race or sex in public employment, education, contracting, or administration. A “No” vote would allow government entities to continue discriminating against or giving preference based on race or sex in those areas.
As state senator, I supported adding these questions to the ballot. It’s now up to you – the voters – to choose whether to make these change to our state constitution.
Election Day is November 3. For more information about this year’s elections, please visit myvote.wi.gov to check your voter registration status, find your polling place, see what’s on your ballot, or request an absentee ballot.
--Senator Romaine Quinn
Last Update: Sep 23, 2026 1:24 pm CDT
