Wisconsin voters reject GOP-led measures aimed at curbing governor’s spending power

Wisconsin voters rejected a pair of ballot measures that would have limited the governor’s power to spend money, Decision Desk HQ has projected.

The Republican-led state Legislature had proposed the initiatives as part of the primaries held Tuesday. The measures aimed to put an added check on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and future holders of his office. 

One measure would have prevented the state Legislature from delegating its authority to appropriate funds, and another would have prohibited the governor from spending federal funding that has not been earmarked for a specific purpose without legislative approval. 

The Legislature passed the measures and sent them to voters in the aftermath of the millions of dollars in federal funding that flowed into the state to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans in the Legislature solidly stood behind the measures as necessary limits on the governor’s power, while Democrats, including Evers, slammed them as an attempted power grab. 

Critics also argued it would only add another step to distributing funds that are often being supplied to respond to an emergency such as natural disasters. 

The Legislature and governor have been at odds with each other for years as the GOP has dominated control of the legislative branch, but Evers has been able to be elected to two terms. The Associated Press reported that Evers has vetoed more bills than any governor in the state’s history.

The measures’ defeat comes ahead of members of the state Legislature running under new legislative maps that could give Democrats a better opportunity to compete for a majority.