Voters reject extreme rewrite of the state’s constitution

MADISON – Today, voters rejected an attempt by political insiders and special interests to rewrite the state’s constitution in a way that would have weakened checks and balances in state government, impaired critical life-saving responses to emergencies, and doubled-down on gridlock in the state legislature.

“Once explained clearly, Wisconsin voters understood that these attempts were yet another power grab by politicians and their special interest backers,” Executive Director Kerry Schumann said. “Voters are clearly tired of these underhanded tactics and won’t be fooled by tricks and dishonesty. This is a victory for Wisconsin and will allow the efficient mobilization of federal funding when necessary for everything from natural disaster response to childcare services.”

As leader of the Wisconsin Votes No coalition, Wisconsin Conservation Voters is proud to have worked arm-in-arm with a broad mix of organizations that shared the same concerns over the radical overreach these amendments represented. From labor to environment to reproductive health to agriculture to education – Wisconsin Votes No helped get the word out to voters through phone calls, door knocking, digital ads, volunteering, emails, and more.

“When voters heard what these deceptively written amendments really meant and the consequences they would have on the state, and more importantly on their lives and futures, they knew what to do,” Deputy Director Seth Hoffmeister said. “This is a resounding rejection of the political games that are so often perpetrated on the people of Wisconsin by the majority party in the legislature. Voters have had enough.”

This robust campaign, perhaps the largest in opposition to a constitutional amendment in Wisconsin’s history, included:

• A coalition of 11 groups working to get the word out
• Nearly $1.9 million spent on a wide variety of tactics
• 114,000 doors knocked on across five regions
• Two pieces of mail to more than 700,000 households
• 2,000 yard signs distributed
• Pledge cards, fact sheets, and other resources to help volunteers spread the word
• More than $125,000 in digital ads

“Now that the primary is over, we’re excited to get to work on the General Election on Nov. 5. We’ve already issued two rounds of endorsements, and are thrilled to be supporting some of the state’s best and brightest in newly competitive races thanks to fair maps,” Hoffmeister said. “As with these amendments, voters will know what to do come fall – reject backwards policies and rhetoric and embrace candidates who are working for them and their communities.”

For more information on the General Election click here.

Contact Ryan Billingham, Communications Director, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, 608-208-1129 (office), 608-213-6972 (mobile/text), or ryan@conservationvoters.org