MADISON – Today, State Representatives Jerry L. O’Connor (R-Fond du Lac), Dan Knodl (R- Germantown), Rob Brooks (R- Saukville), and Dave Murphy (R- Greenville) and State Senators Cory
Tomczyk (R- Mosinee) and Dan Feyen (R- Fond du Lac) introduced a new bill to require the creation of a “State Referendum Disclosure Notice” to explain statewide referendums to voters before Election Day and at the polls:
“With very few exceptions, every voter, like me, has asked this question while standing in line to vote: ‘Why don’t they write the constitutional referendum questions in plain English?” said O’Connor.
“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 continued. “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.”
“That’s why we are introducing a bill to create a ‘State Referendum Disclosure Notice’ that will include the legal referendum language accompanied by a simple, easy-to-understand explanation of the proposed constitutional amendment and the effects of voting in favor of or against it,” said O’Connor.
The bill includes a requirement that Constitutional Referendum Questions must be accompanied by a “State Referendum Disclosure Notice (SRDN)” that will include the legal Referendum language accompanied by a plain language, “Explanation of Proposal” and a definition of “What Your Vote Means” when considering checking a Yes or No on a ballot that are written by the constitutional amendment’s legislative authors in conjunction with LRB.
The notice would be posted at all polling places on Election Day and provided to voters during early voting. A disclosure notice would also be mailed along with the ballot for absentee voters and posted on a county’s website, MyVote Wisconsin, and WEC weeks before Election Day.
“In recent years we’ve seen referendums that poll very well, and yet the election results go the other way. In talking with my constituents they often find the legal jargon on the ballot confusing,” said, Murphy “This bill addresses this issue, provides clarity for the public, and is a common sense reform.”
For more information please contact the offices of:
State Representative Jerry O’Connor at Rep.O’Connor@legis.wi.gov or (608) 237-9160
State Representative Dan Knodl at Rep.Knodl@legis.wi.gov or (608) 237-9124
State Representative Rob Brooks at Rep.Rob.Brooks@legis.wi.gov or (608) 237-9159
State Representative Dave Murphy at Rep.Murphy@legis.wi.gov or (608) 237-9156
State Senator Cory Tomczyk at Sen.Tomczyk@legis.wi.gov or (608) 266-2502.
State Senator Dan Feyen at Sen.Feyen@legis.wi.gov or (608) 266-5300
