Governor Evers Urges “No” Vote on Ballot Questions in Eau Claire

Governor Tony Evers hosted a press conference in Eau Claire on Monday urging voters to reject two constitutional amendments on August 13.

Governor Evers and State Representative Jodi Emerson hosted the press conference at the Democratic Resource Center in Eau Claire to share their thoughts on the proposed constitutional amendments.

The referendums will appear on the back of the August 13th primary ballot. The first would prohibit the Wisconsin State Legislature from delegating its power to appropriate money. The second would require legislative approval via a joint resolution before the Governor can expend federal money appropriated to the state.

In their statements, Governor Evers and State Representative Emerson shared their views on the dangers of removing the power to distribute federal funds from the Governor. Both referenced the Covid-19 pandemic and the inactivity of the state legislature during that time as evidence as to why the Governor must retain the power to distribute emergency federal funding.

“Obviously during the pandemic we needed to get money out the door to make sure that people had the vaccines they needed, they had the equipment that they needed to stay safe, and also we helped out with small businesses across the state of Wisconsin,” said Governor Evers. “The EMTs and firefighters and health care workers all needed money in order to battle this and it’s as simple as that.”

They also criticized Republicans for using the August 13th primary election to propose the constitutional amendments, as it typically sees far lower voter turnout than other elections.

At a press conference earlier this month, State Representative Emerson, State Senator Jeff Smith, and former City Councilman Jeremy Gragert echoed that sentiment. They also claimed the ballot questions themselves are misleading, and are an attempt to trick voters into eliminating checks and balances to give themselves control over critical federal funds.

According to a WQOW report, another group of legislators plan to host a press conference later this week in Altoona to urge people to vote yes on the questions.