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Wisconsin Question 1, Governor Partial Veto Power for Appropriation Bills Amendment (1930)
| Wisconsin Question 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic State executive powers and duties |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Wisconsin Question 1 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Wisconsin on November 4, 1930. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the state constitution to allow the governor to veto individual items in appropriation bills without vetoing the entire bill, with approved items becoming law and vetoed items returned to the legislature. |
A "no" vote opposed amending the state constitution, thereby maintaining the requirement that the governor must approve or veto appropriation bills in their entirety. |
Election results
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Wisconsin Question 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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252,655 | 62.18% | ||
| No | 153,703 | 37.82% | ||
Overview
In 1930, voters in Wisconsin approved Question 1, granting the governor the power to issue partial vetoes on appropriation bills.[1]
State Sen. Thomas M. Duncan (Socialist) sponsored the proposal in the Wisconsin State Legislature, arguing that the governor needed partial veto power because the legislature had "completely overhauled the budget system of the state" in the previous session. He said, "[Currently,] the governor can block bad budget legislation only by vetoing the entire bill. The item veto is absolutely indispensable to the successful operation of the Wisconsin budget plan, in which all appropriations are made in a single bill."[2]
Phillip La Follette (R), a candidate for governor, opposed Question 1. He said, "Passage of the amendment would be another step in the concentration of power in the executive office. The whole tendency of the past two decades has been towards over concentration of authority. The arguments in favor of this tendency are all based upon the argument in favor of dictatorship as opposed to self-government. This proposed amendment is in my judgment a step in the wrong direction."[3] La Follette won the gubernatorial election with 64.8%, but Question 1 was also approved, with 62.2%.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:
| “ | Shall the constitutional amendment, proposed by Joint Resolution No. 43 of 1929, be ratified so as to authorize the Governor to approve appropriation bills in part and to veto them in part? | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Constitutional changes
See also: Article V, Wisconsin Constitution
The ballot measure amended Section 10 of Article V of the Wisconsin Constitution. The following underlined text was added:[1]
Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Wisconsin Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during two legislative sessions for the Wisconsin State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 50 votes in the Wisconsin State Assembly and 17 votes in the Wisconsin State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wisconsin State Legislature, "Joint Resolutioin No. 43, 1929," accessed April 19, 2025
- ↑ Stevens Point Journal, "Duncan Urges Laws Allowing Partial Veto
- ↑ Kenosha News, "Phil. LaFollette Opposes Amendment for Veto of Parts of Bill," October 14, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
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