Bill would require one-page ballot referendum, amendment voter explanation

(The Center Square) – A public hearing is set for Tuesday on a bill that would require all referenda or proposed constitutional amendments in the state to include a full explanation of the amendment or referendum, date it will be on the ballot and a plain language explanation of its impact that will be available to voters on Election Day.

The public hearing will be held before the Assembly Committee on Campaign and Elections.

The bill shifts the responsibility for an impact statement related to the amendment or referendum from the state attorney general to bill sponsors while requiring five items to be included: Referendum date, full ballot text, a summary of the current law, an explanation of the effect of a change and an explanation of the impact of a “yes” or “no” vote.

The content of the final three questions must fit on a 3-by-5 card or 8½-by-11 sheet of paper in 12-point font that must be posted at election polling places.

“For at least 30 days prior to the date of a statewide referendum, the complete state referendum disclosure notice must be published by the Elections Commission on the website used for voter registration, currently titled MyVote Wisconsin, or other voter public access website maintained by the commission and must be posted by each county clerk at the county clerk’s office and published by the county clerk on the county clerk’s website,” the bill states.

The notice must also be sent along with absentee ballots.

Rep. Jerry O’Connor, R-Fond du Lac, explained that the bill is intended to help inform voters on what actually is being voted on.

“We appreciate that the referendum question drafted by the Legislative Resource Bureau (LRB) must be written in a language that can be inserted into the constitution,” O’Connor said in a statement. “However, if this legal language requires an attorney to interpret and explain the meaning of the question, this is a disservice to the voters of Wisconsin. They are left in an uninformed position.”

Current law would continue which states that ballot questions may not require a negative vote to be approved or a positive vote to disapprove.

The bill was introduced by a group of 20 Republican representatives and is co-sponsored by four Republican senators.

“In recent years we’ve seen referendums that poll very well, and yet the election results go the other way,” Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, said in a statement. “In talking with my constituents they often find the legal jargon on the ballot confusing. This bill addresses this issue, provides clarity for the public, and is a common sense reform.”