Two referendum questions proposing changes to the Wisconsin constitution passed yesterday in the state’s spring election. In an announcement released by the Wisconsin GOP earlier today, Chairman Brian Schimming stated:
Victory! Wisconsin has spoken and the message is clear: elections belong to voters, not out-of-state billionaires. Thanks to the efforts by the Republican Party of Wisconsin and grassroots organizing, Wisconsinites have turned the page on Zuckerbucks and secured our elections from dark money donors.
QUESTION 1: “Use of private funds in election administration. Shall section 7 (1) of the constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?
The first referendum question comes after the Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), a election reform advocacy group, allegedly influenced the 2020 presidential election by donating money to, and administering the elections in, five Wisconsin cities — Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha, and Green Bay.
QUESTION 2: “Election officials. Shall section 7 (2) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?
The second referendum question comes as the city of Green Bay allegedly handed over control of its central ballot count facility to Zuckerberg-funded political operative Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein after Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe helped him gain access to local election officials.
The changes to the Wisconsin constitution come before the 2024 presidential election, where Wisconsin appears to be a key state for Biden and Trump, with the two candidates tied in a head-to-head contest according to a Wall Street Journal poll released earlier today.
The Wisconsin ACLU opposed the changes to the state constitution, claiming elections are “underfunded,” the changes were “vague,” and “Our democracy depends on local election officials having the staff and resources to do their jobs. The same politicians who put these questions on the ballot stripped millions in funding from the state budget to support election administration.”
