Voters turned out at levels not seen in 60 years for this year’s primary to make their voices heard on several important statewide issues! News sources report that the turnout was over 25 percent with numbers in Dane County and the City of Madison, reaching nearly 30 percent. According to the Waukesha Freeman, the WOW counties had a 40 percent turnout.

Referendum Questions

In past blogs, I covered the proposed changes to the Wisconsin Constitution, shifting how federal dollars are spent in the state and giving the legislature more control. The results show almost 60% of the voters statewide rejected the amendments. As a result, the Governor will continue to have the authority to act on behalf of the state when it comes to emergency funding and other unallocated federal dollars.

This is a significant victory for those who opposed the changes, such as the Wisconsin Conservation Voters, and the Democratic legislators, who argued that the legislature would be unpredictable and slow to respond during a crisis, delaying critical funding.

Republican legislators and groups supporting the amendments such as the Badger Institute and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, claimed the changes were necessary to provide checks and balances to the Governor’s power.

Referendums historically passed 2/3 of the time. The rejection this time shows the power of the voters and is indicative of the tremendous effort put forward by the groups fighting them.

Primaries Under New Maps

As voters navigated the new districts, the results showed some incumbent losses — inevitable when two legislators were drawn into one district. We also saw many new faces claim victories for the numerous open seats created by the new maps.

Though we don’t yet know the full impact of the new maps. Results so far have been mostly positive for incumbent candidates.

State Senate

In the Milwaukee area, two state representatives vied for the open seat of Senate District 4, where Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) prevailed over Lakeshia Myers. Drake will face no opposition in November, securing the seat for her.

In the Madison area, in the open seat for Senate District 16 vacated by Melissa Agard who is running for Dane County Executive, another Melissa beat out two other state representatives to win the primary. Melissa Ratcliff (D – Cottage Grove) won over Reps. Baldeh and J. Anderson without an opponent in November, she has secured the senate seat.

State Assembly

The Energy & Utilities Committee Chairman, Rep. Dave Steffen (R- Green Bay) survived a primary challenge. While another nearby incumbent, Republican Peter Schmidt (R-Shawano) lost to Rep. Elijah Behnke from Oconto in a new district.

Congressional Primary Wins

In the 3rd Congressional District, Rebecca Cook came out on top in the three-way Democratic primary. Cook will face Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden in November.

In the 8th Congressional District, Tony Wied won his own three-way primary on the Republican ticket. He will face Democrat Kristin Lyerly in November.

The remainder of the candidates running in their respective congressional districts were not primaried.

The general election is slated for Tuesday, November 5, 2024. With plenty of time to get to know all the candidates and make your vote count.

Wisconsin’s primary election is an opportunity to have your voice heard on which local and national candidates you think best align with your view. This year voters also have a say in how the state decides to spend federal dollars. The primary election is on August 13, 2024, giving voters a few more weeks to get acquainted with the issues on the ballot.

The decision on how the state spends federal dollars is impacted by two, potentially confusing referendum questions on the back side of the ballot:

Question 1 – In plain language, this refers to who has the power over how federal money is spent.

A “yes” vote means the legislature would decide how federal dollars are spent.

A “no” vote means the legislature would share the power with the governor.

Question 2 – This refers to the Governor’s authority to act on behalf of the state.

A “yes” vote means the governor would be prohibited from spending federal dollars without legislative approval.

A “no” vote would allow the governor to continue spending federal money on behalf of Wisconsinites.

Much of the federal funding and state revenue that is spent in Wisconsin is allocated by the legislature and the Governor during the state budget process. Both parties try to get some form of compromise.

Funding from the federal government is often designated for a particular purpose, like road construction or broadband installations, and can only be used for those purposes.

Changes to the constitution made by these referendum amendments would apply to the Wisconsin Governor regardless of party affiliation and impact the Wisconsin legislature, regardless of which party is in the majority. However, different parties have different priorities, and finding agreement among the parties is difficult.

As an example, states have benefited from federal assistance during extensive emergencies, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, and other situations where immediate financial assistance was critical. In more recent years, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated money to the states to implement Wisconsin’s transition to clean energy. Changing the process for how these funds are allocated could slow down the process of dispersing them.

In other words, anytime money comes to the state without strings attached on how it should be spent, it would be decided by the governor if the referendums are not approved OR it would have to be approved by the legislature if the referendums are approved.

Your vote determines the path forward for the state.