Wisconsin Republicans want to transfer more power to themselves to oversee ballot referendum language
Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature are advancing Assembly Bill 207, which would transfer even more power to the GOP-controlled legislature for informing voters on ballot measures.
Under current law, the Wisconsin Attorney General’s office, which is currently held by Democrat Josh Kaul, is tasked with drafting nonpartisan explainers for each ballot measure or constitutional amendment that goes in front of voters. These explanatory statements are distributed to citizens through various campaign fliers, ads and internet posts. AB 207 would amend current law and transfer the power of writing these explainers to the state legislature. Although the bill calls for the statement to be written in “plain language,” the text does not explicitly define what that constitutes.
During a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections on Tuesday, Green County Clerk Arianna Voegeli spoke against the bill, and she voiced concerns about partisan campaign messaging leaking into what is supposed to be a neutral process.
“Voters absolutely deserve impartial and accurate information, not campaign messaging embedded in official election materials,” Voegeli said. “If legislators are responsible for crafting the explanation of the proposed amendments in the effect of a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote, it opens the door to biased framing that could influence voters.”
https://heartlandsignal.com/2025/06/03/wisconsin-republicans-want-to-transfer-more-power-to-themselves-to-oversee-ballot-referendum-language/