But I thought elections weren’t until November?!
Although most local and federal elections aren’t until the first Tuesday in November, there is a very important vote on state constitutional amendments coming up in just a few days on August 13th. Below is what the questions will look like on the ballot, as well as what you need to know as a cyclist, trail user, and advocate for the Bike Fed:
Question 1: “Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35 (1) of article IV of the constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?”
Question 2: “Allocation of federal moneys. Shall section 35 (2) of article IV of the constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?”
What a majority “YES” vote on both questions would mean:
Currently, the Governor of Wisconsin has the sole power to determine how certain funds from the federal government can be appropriated, such as in an emergency like flooding, a pandemic, bridge repair, etc. A majority “YES” vote on both questions would mean that, in the future, the entire state legislative body (state assembly, state senate) would have to approve any appropriation of federal dollars. It is likely that this change would slow down the rollout of these federal dollars as legislators would have to travel to Madison to debate, and then subsequently vote, on how the money would be appropriated.
What a majority “NO” vote on both questions would mean:
A majority “NO” vote on the constitutional amendment questions would leave the power of federal dollars appropriation solely in the Governor’s hands, otherwise meaning no change to the state constitution. Contrary to what a “YES” vote would mean, a “NO” vote would not involve the legislative body in the process of appropriating certain federal dollars. This would continue to allow for a streamlined allocation process, especially in the case of an emergency as described above.
It is unprecedented that there are constitutional amendment questions on an August primary ballot. In fact, it has never happened before in Wisconsin. That means it is even more important that you are informed as a voter, and that you take the time to GET OUT AND VOTE! If you have any further questions about the upcoming vote, please contact the Bike Fed’s Government Affairs Manager, Collin Mead, at collin@wisconsinbikefed.org.