If approved, these constitutional amendments would limit the ability of local governments to receive funds from outside organizations, prevent individuals from assisting with election administration and restrict who can help with elections.
We urge you to vote NO on both of these amendments.
Question one would restrict local governments from using outside grants that have made voting more accessible and helped provide PPE, like masks and hand sanitizer, in elections.
In 2020, during the pandemic, municipalities received extra funds to enact necessary safety precautions at polling locations, like providing PPE to poll workers and volunteers. In other past elections, local governments used grants to reduce long lines at polling locations by opening more polling locations and making absentee voting easier.
Without these funds, our elections will be under-resourced and the burden will fall on taxpayers. The bottom line is: grants and donations keep taxes low and elections accessible.
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. By restricting this collaboration, clerks will have limited support and resources to run elections.
The bottom line is this: these constitutional amendments will make it harder to vote. So, vote “no” and protect the voices of Wisconsin voters.
