Wisconsin Question 2, Only Designated Election Officials to Conduct Elections Amendment (April 2024)

Wisconsin Question 2
Election date April 2, 2024
Topic Elections and campaigns
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Wisconsin Question 2, the Only Designated Election Officials to Conduct Elections Amendment, was on the ballot in Wisconsin as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on April 2, 2024. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this amendment to provide that only election officials designated by law may administer elections.

A "no" vote opposed this amendment to provide that only election officials designated by law may administer elections.

Election results

Wisconsin Question 2
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		685,806	58.63%
No		483,900	41.37%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did Question 2 do?

See also: Text of measure

Question 2 added a new section to Article III of the state constitution that states that no one other than an election official authorized by law may help conduct any election in the state. The ballot question was placed on the ballot with another amendment to the same section that prohibited any level of government in the state from applying or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for election administration. It was also approved.

Who supported and opposed Question 2?

See also: Support and Opposition

Question 2 received endorsements from Election Integrity for Wisconsin, Opportunity Solutions Project, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, and Wisconsin Voter Alliance. Madeline Malisa, visiting fellow at the Opportunity Solutions Project, said, "The funding of election operations, and where and how funds are being spent, are decisions that you—Wisconsin lawmakers—should make and not unaccountable special interest groups. Private funding of elections effectively allows private actors to influence who the winners and losers will be. These bills will safeguard Wisconsin elections from outside influence by prohibiting local governments from applying for, accepting, or spending any funding from private individuals or third parties for election administration. It will also allow only election officials to administer elections."

Question 2 was opposed by All Voting is Local Action Wisconsin, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Sam Liebert, state director of All Voting is Local Action Wisconsin, said, "These proposals, under the guise of protecting our elections, are nothing more than thinly veiled attempts to restrict voting rights and undermine the very foundations of our democratic system. It is our duty to stand firm in defending the rights and inclusivity of all eligible voters in our democracy."

How did Question 2 get on the ballot?

See also: Path to the ballot

In Wisconsin, the state legislature is required to approve an amendment by a simple majority vote in two successive sessions for the amendment to appear on the ballot. The joint resolution was approved during the 2021-2022 legislative session by a 21-11 vote in the Senate and a 58-32 vote in the Assembly. It was approved a second time during the 2023-2024 legislative session by a 21-10 vote in the Senate and 60-35 vote in the Assembly. The resolution placed two separate questions on the April ballot related to election administration. Question 1 prohibited any level of government in the state from applying or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for election administration.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question for the amendment was as follows:

“

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?

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article III, Wisconsin Constitution

The measure added section 7 of Article III of the state constitution. The following underlined text was added:

Section 7. (2) No individual other than an election official designated by law may perform any task in the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum.

Full text

The full text can be read here.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 14, and the FRE is 24. The word count for the ballot title is 32.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Eric Wimberger (R)
• State Rep. Tyler August (R)

Organizations

• Election Integrity for Wisconsin
• Opportunity Solutions Project
• Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
• Wisconsin Voter Alliance

Arguments

• Kyle Koenen, the policy director of the Wisconsin Institute for Liberty & Law: "In the interest of upholding fairness and safeguarding the integrity of our democratic process, it is essential to maintain a non-partisan electoral system that is free from external financial influences. The concerns that have been expressed regarding Mark Zuckerberg's extensive funding of election administration in Democratic-leaning communities closely parallel the worries that would emerge if a donor with right-leaning inclinations were to direct their resources exclusively toward Republican-leaning areas. AJR 77 and SJR 78 underscore the need to establish a clear standard: private funding should not have a role in the administration of Wisconsin's elections."
• Madeline Malisa, visiting fellow at the Opportunity Solutions Project: "The funding of election operations, and where and how funds are being spent, are decisions that you—Wisconsin lawmakers—should make and not unaccountable special interest groups. Private funding of elections effectively allows private actors to influence who the winners and losers will be. These bills will safeguard Wisconsin elections from outside influence by prohibiting local governments from applying for, accepting, or spending any funding from private individuals or third parties for election administration. It will also allow only election officials to administer elections."
• Rick Esenberg, president of Wisconsin Institute for Liberty & Law: "There was money spent on soccer stadiums, there was money spent on all sorts of minor things, but then there was a lot of money that was directed to groups like Planned Parenthood or other entities where Gov. Evers could expect to find support. This isn't just a partisan issue. Any governor given this authority is going to act politically. And so, I think that one of the points that we want to make with our partners at The Institute for Reforming Government, is that everybody should support this because nobody should want this much authority to be vested in the governor."

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• ACLU of Wisconsin
• All Voting is Local Action Wisconsin
• League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
• Wisconsin Conservation Voters
• Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Arguments

• Kyle Johnson, political director for Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC): "Question two would reduce municipal clerks’ resources by limiting the involvement of community members and volunteers to help with elections. Elections are made up of many moving pieces. Clerks and election officials rely on volunteers, such as election observers and nonpartisan organizations, to inform the public about their right to vote."
• ACLU of Wisconsin: "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. Vote to preserve our constitution. Vote to protect our right to vote. Vote No."
• Sam Liebert, state director of All Voting is Local Action Wisconsin: "These proposals, under the guise of protecting our elections, are nothing more than thinly veiled attempts to restrict voting rights and undermine the very foundations of our democratic system. It is our duty to stand firm in defending the rights and inclusivity of all eligible voters in our democracy."
• Joan Schwarz, secretary of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin: "Now is the time to be mindful that our Constitution not become the repository for a flurry of controversial, restrictive social policies with misleading and ambiguous language that the gerrymandered Legislature is proposing which, if passed, will be enshrined in our Constitution."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Wisconsin ballot measures

If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this amendment, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

Wisconsin law governing election officials

Chapter 7 of Wisconsin Statutes governs election officials also known as poll workers. Election officials serve as chief election inspectors, election inspectors, greeters, tabulators, election registration officials, and special voting deputies. State law requires a municipality's governing board to appoint election inspectors from lists of nominees presented by the two dominant political parties. If municipalities do not receive party-nominating lists, the mayor, president, or chairperson may nominate eligible individuals regardless of party affiliation.

State law requires all election officials to be qualified voters in the county in which the polling place where they will serve is. Election officials cannot be candidates on the ballot, and election inspectors cannot be immediately related to any candidate on the ballot.

Article III, Wisconsin Constitution

See also: Article III, Wisconsin Constitution

Article III of the Wisconsin Constitution is entitled Suffrage and consists of six sections, three of which were repealed in April 1986 with the approval of Question 1.

Wisconsin constitutional amendments

Between 1995 and 2023, Wisconsin voters decided on 17 constitutional amendments—approving 13 (76.47%) and defeating 4 (23.53%).

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Wisconsin Constitution

In Wisconsin, the state legislature is required to approve an amendment by majority vote in two successive sessions for the amendment to appear on the ballot.

2021-2022 legislative session

The amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 101 (SJR 101). The Wisconsin State Senate approved the amendment by a vote of 21-11 with one not voting on February 22, 2022. The Wisconsin State Assembly approved SJR 101 by a vote of 58-32 with five not voting on February 24, 2022.

Vote in the Wisconsin State Senate February 22, 2022
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 17  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	21	11	1
Total percent	63.7%	33.3%	3.0%
Democrat	0	11	1
Republican	21	0	0

Vote in the Wisconsin House of Representatives February 24, 2022
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 48  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	58	32	5
Total percent	61.0%	33.7%	5.3%
Democrat	0	32	4
Republican	58	0	1

2023-2024 legislative session

The amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 78 (SJR 78). The Wisconsin State Senate approved the amendment by a vote of 21-10 with two not voting on November 7, 2023. The Wisconsin State Assembly approved SJR 78 by a vote of 60-35 with four not voting on November 9, 2023. The resolution placed two separate questions on the April ballot related to election administration.

Vote in the Wisconsin State Senate November 7, 2023
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 17  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	21	10	2
Total percent	63.6%	30.3%	6.1%
Democrat	0	10	1
Republican	21	0	1

Vote in the Wisconsin House of Representatives November 9, 2023
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 50  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	60	35	4
Total percent	60.6%	35.4%	4.0%
Democrat	0	35	0
Republican	60	0	4

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Wisconsin

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Wisconsin.

How to vote in Wisconsin

Poll times

In Wisconsin, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Wisconsin, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Wisconsin for at least 28 days prior to the election. A voter must be at least 18 years of age by Election Day.

Prospective voters can register online or by mailing a form to their municipal clerk. If registering by mail, the application must be postmarked no later than 20 days before the election. In-person registration must be completed by 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day. Prospective voters can also register in person at their municipal clerk's office up until the Friday before the election or at their polling place on Election Day. (Same-day voter registration requires proof of residency.)

Automatic registration

Wisconsin does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Wisconsin has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Wisconsin allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Wisconsin law requires 28 days of residency in a precinct before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Wisconsin does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who provides false information "may be subject to fine or imprisonment under State and Federal laws."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site My Vote, run by the Wisconsin Election Commission, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Wisconsin requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of May 2023. Click here for the Wisconsin Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

• Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver license, even if driving privileges are revoked or suspended
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued identification card, with or without a photo
• Military ID card issued by the U.S. Uniformed Services
• U.S. passport book or card
• Identification card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin (can be expired or unexpired)
• Photo identification card issued by a Wisconsin accredited university or college, or technical college, containing the date the card was issued and a signature. (If expired, the voter must also provide a separate document proving enrollment).
• Veteran's photo ID card issued by a government authority
• Certificate of naturalization issued within the past two years
• Driver’s license receipt issued by Wisconsin Department of Transportation (valid for 45 days from date issued)
• Identification card receipt issued by Wisconsin Department of Transportation (valid for 45 days from date issued)
• Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles ID Petition Process Photo Receipt (valid for 60 days from date issued)

The following voters do not need to provide photo ID:

• Confidential electors
• Active military and permanent overseas voters who vote by absentee ballot
• Indefinitely confined voters who vote by absentee ballot

Voters can obtain a free Wisconsin State ID Card at a Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles office. Voters need the following to apply for an ID:

• Proof of name and date of birth (birth certificate)
• Proof of identity (Social Security Card, Medicaid/Medicare Card, etc.)
• Proof of Wisconsin residency (utility bill, government mail, lease, etc.)
• Proof of U.S. citizenship (U.S. Birth certificate or citizenship paperwork)
• Social Security Number

Voters who do not have all or any of the materials listed above can still obtain an ID. Call the voter ID hotline for assistance at (844) 588-1069.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Elections and campaigns on the ballot

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin ballot measures
• Wisconsin ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Full text