Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.

Wisconsin Question 3, Senate Presiding Officer Amendment (April 1979)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Wisconsin Question 3

Flag of Wisconsin.png

Election date

April 3, 1979

Topic
State legislatures measures
Status

ApprovedApproved

Type
Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
Origin

State legislature



Wisconsin Question 3 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Wisconsin on April 3, 1979. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported amending the constitution to eliminate the Lieutenant Governor's role as presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Senate. 

A "no" vote opposed amending the constitution to eliminate the Lieutenant Governor's role as presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Senate. 


Election results

Wisconsin Question 3

Result Votes Percentage

Approved Yes

372,734 53.27%
No 327,008 46.73%
Results are officially certified.
Source


Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Question 3 was as follows:

Senate presiding officer. Shall section 9 of article IV of the constitution be amended, and shall the first sentence of section 8 of article V of the constitution be repealed, to eliminate the lieutenant governor's function as senate presiding officer and to permit the state senate, instead, to select its presiding officer from among its member?


Constitutional changes

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

[Article IV] Section 9. Each house shall choose its own presiding officer, and the senate shall choose a temporary president when the lieutenant governor shall not attend as president, or shall act as governor from its own members.
[Article V] Section 8. The lieutenant governor shall be president of the president of the senate, but shall have only a casting vote therein. (1) If; during there is a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, and the lieutenant governor shall be dies, resigns or is removed from office, the secretary of state shall become governor for the balance of the unexpired term.
(2) If there is a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor and the governor is absent from this state, impeached, displaced, resign, die, or from mental or physical disease become becomes incapable of performing the duties of his the office, or be absent from the state, the secretary of state shall act serve as acting governor for the balance of the unexpired term or until the vacancy shall be filled or the governor returns, the disability shall cease ceases or the impeachment is vacated. [1]

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. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.