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Ballot Explained

Wisconsin ballot measure · November 3, 2026

Wisconsin Question 1, explained

Partial veto and taxes or fees. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.

The official wordingWhat appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.
QUESTION 1: "Partial veto. Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee?"

What it actually means

Wisconsin governors have unusually wide partial veto power over spending bills: they can strike words and digits and leave behind something the Legislature never wrote. Voters have narrowed it twice before, in 1990 and 2008. This amendment would narrow it again, barring a partial veto that creates or raises a tax or fee, or that lets a local body such as a school district do so. The official explanatory statement notes the current veto "may result in either more or fewer taxes or fees being imposed."

Y

If you vote YES

  • Article V, Section 10(1)(c) would add that in approving an appropriation bill in part, the governor "may not create or increase or authorize the creation or increase of any tax or fee."
  • A partial veto could not raise a state tax or fee, and — as the official explanatory statement puts it — would also "prevent a veto from allowing local governments, such as school districts, to increase their own taxes or fees."
  • The existing limits stay: no creating a new word by striking letters (1990), no creating a new sentence by joining parts of two (2008).
  • The governor could still use the partial veto to cut spending or strike provisions that do not create or raise a tax or fee.
  • The Legislature would keep the power to raise taxes and fees itself; the change is about what a veto can do, not what a law can do.
N

If you vote NO

  • Article V, Section 10(1)(c) keeps its present wording and the partial veto keeps its present reach — among the broadest of the 44 states whose governors have a line-item veto.
  • A governor could continue to use a partial veto that has the effect of raising a tax or fee, or of authorising a local body to raise one, as Gov. Tony Evers did in the 2023 budget when a veto extended a school revenue limit increase for 400 years.
  • Voters would have left the veto as they last drew it in 2008.
  • The Legislature's remedies would remain what they are now: overriding a veto with two-thirds of both chambers, drafting budgets to be veto-proof, or litigating, as it has done before.
The numbers that matter
States whose governors have a line-item veto
44

National Conference of State Legislatures

Previous voter-approved limits on the partial veto
1930 (created), 1990 (no new words from letters), 2008 (no new sentences)

Wisconsin constitutional referendums, each titled Question 1 in its year

Legislative vote to refer
Senate 18-15, Assembly 54 Republicans for and 41 Democrats against

Wisconsin Legislature, 2025 Senate Joint Resolution 116

What each side says2 for, 1 against — quoted, not summarised

Why supporters say YES

  • "Wisconsin Governors currently enjoy one of the most powerful partial-veto pens in the country… If adopted, this amendment would rebalance power between the executive branch and the legislative branch and further restrict the executive from rewriting laws passed by representatives of the people."

    — State Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-33), lead author of Senate Joint Resolution 116

  • "SJR 116 restores accountability after Governor Evers abused the partial veto to create an unpopular 400-year property tax increase during an affordability crisis. We thank the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly for passing this amendment, giving voters the chance to ensure this kind of executive overreach never happens again."

    — Jerry Ponio, director, Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin

Why opponents say NO

  • "So what would this amendment actually do? It would make it harder for any future governor to right the wrongs of any legislature that fails to provide sufficient revenues to meet our shared priorities – education-related or otherwise."

    — State Sen. Chris Larson (D-7)

What's genuinely uncertain
  • Organised opposition is thin. No committee had registered on either side as of February 2026, and the case against comes from legislative Democrats rather than from a campaign, which is why only one argument appears against two in favour.
  • How broadly "authorize the creation or increase of any tax or fee" would be read is untested. The official explanatory statement says it reaches vetoes that let local bodies raise their own taxes, but no court has interpreted the phrase.
  • Whether the amendment would have blocked particular past vetoes is contested and would depend on how courts read it.
  • The amendment does not touch the rest of the partial veto power, so its practical effect on budget negotiations is hard to predict.

The bottom line

Whether a governor's partial veto should be able to raise a tax or fee the Legislature never voted for — tighter limits on a uniquely powerful veto, against a narrower tool for a governor facing a budget they think underfunds schools and services.

One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.

Sources (3)The numbers in the text above link here
  1. 1Notice of Referendum Election, November 3, 2026 — official questions and explanatory statements — franklinwi.gov
  2. 22025 Senate Joint Resolution 116 — Wisconsin Legislature — docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
  3. 3Wisconsin Prohibit Partial Veto to Increase Tax or Fee Amendment (2026) — Ballotpedia — ballotpedia.org

Checking it against the official text

The Wisconsin Elections Commission publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Wisconsin Elections Commission.

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