Wisconsin Question 6, Repeal of Draft Exemption Fund Collection Amendment (1982)

Wisconsin Question 6
Election date November 2, 1982
Topic Constitutional wording changes and Military service policy
Status Approved
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Wisconsin Question 6 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Wisconsin on November 2, 1982. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported amending the constitution to remove references to using money collected for draft exemptions, which was done during the Civil War, for school funds.

A "no" vote opposed amending the constitution to remove references to using money collected for draft exemptions, which was done during the Civil War, for school funds.

Election results

Wisconsin Question 6
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		887,488	75.01%
No		295,693	24.99%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Question 6 was as follows:

“

Repeal of draft exemption purchase. Shall section 2 of article X of the constitution be amended to remove the obsolete reference to payment into the school fund of all moneys paid by draftees to purchase exemption from military service (e.g., under the 1863 federal conscription act, draftees could hire substitutes or buy an exemption from military service for $300)?

”

Constitutional changes

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

[Article X] Section 2. The proceeds of all lands that have been or hereafter may be granted by the United States to this state for educational purposes (except the lands heretofore granted for the purpose of a university) and all moneys and the clear proceeds of all property that may accrue to the state by forfeiture or escheat, and all moneys which may be paid as an equivalent for exemption from military duty; and the clear proceeds of all fines collected in the several counties for any breach of the penal laws, and all moneys arising from any grant to the state where the purposes of such grant are not specified, and the five hundred thousand 500,000 acres of land to which the state is entitled by the provisions of an act of congress, entitled "An act to appropriate the proceeds of the sales of the public lands and to grant pre-emption rights," approved the fourth day of September 4, one thousand eight hundred and forty-one 1841; and also the five per centum 5 percent of the net proceeds of the public lands to which the state shall become entitled on her admission into the union (if congress shall consent to such appropriation of the two 2 grants last mentioned) shall be set apart as a separate fund to be called "the school fund," the interest of which and all other revenues derived from the school lands shall be exclusively applied to the following objects, to wit:
1. (1) To the support and maintenance of common schools, in each school district, and the purchase of suitable libraries and apparatus therefor.
2. (2) The residue shall be appropriated to the support and maintenance of academies and normal schools, and suitable libraries and apparatus therefor.

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

1982 Measures

• 1982 Measures
• Military service policy on the ballot
• Constitutional wording changes on the ballot
• 1982 legislative sessions

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin ballot measures
• Wisconsin ballot measure laws

News and analysis

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