Wisconsin Question 4, School Release for Religious Instruction Amendment (April 1972)
| Wisconsin Question 4 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Religion in public schools and Religion-related policy |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Wisconsin Question 4 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Wisconsin on April 4, 1972. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported authorizing the legislature to allow public schools to release students during school hours to receive religious instruction elsewhere. |
A "no" vote opposed authorizing the legislature to allow public schools to release students during school hours to receive religious instruction elsewhere. |
Election results
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Wisconsin Question 4 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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595,075 | 50.41% | ||
| No | 585,511 | 49.59% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 4 was as follows:
| “ | Shall Section 3 of article X of the constitution be amended to permit the legislature to authorize the release of public school pupils during regular school hours for the purpose of religious instruction outside the public schools? | ” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article X, Wisconsin Constitution
The ballot measure amended Section 3 of Article X of the Wisconsin Constitution. The following underlined language was added and struck-through language was deleted:[1]
The legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to all children between the ages of four 4 and twenty 20 years; and no sectarian instruction shall be allowed therein; but the legislature by law may, for the purpose of religious instruction outside the district schools, authorize the release of students during regular school hours.[2]
Background
From 1926 to 2024, voters decided on at least nine ballot measures related to religion in public schools in nine states: California (1926), North Dakota (1948), Maryland (1970), Florida (1972), Massachusetts (1972), Wisconsin (1972), West Virginia (1984), Missouri (2012), and Alabama (2018).
The following map illustrates where voters have decided on ballot measures related to religion in public schools:
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
- ↑ University of Wisconsin-Madison Library, "Released Time for Religious Instruction," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
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