As much of Wisconsin battles a bitter late season blizzard, we bring you today’s Key Reads, which have a heavy tilt toward election results from the various contests across the state.
The northeast part of the state is suffering widespread power outages, with more than 80,000 customers without electricity as of 6am.
After watching the Brewers win their home opener, we settled in to watch the election returns roll in. We bring you the highlights:
Wisconsin voters approve ban on private money support for elections | AP
Private money to fund elections will be banned in Wisconsin after voters approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday put forward by Republicans in reaction to grants received in 2020 that were funded by donations from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Voters also approved a second question put on the ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature that amends the constitution to say that only election officials can administer elections. That’s already state law, but putting it in the constitution makes it more difficult to repeal or change…
Both constitutional amendments on the ballot were in reaction to grant money that came to Wisconsin in 2020 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a liberal group that fights for voter access. That year it received a $300 million donation from Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan to help election officials buy supplies and run elections at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic before vaccines were available.
The state’s five largest cities, all of which President Joe Biden won, received $8.8 million. They were among roughly 200 communities in Wisconsin that received around $10 million as part of $350 million given out nationally.
Republicans who dubbed the money “Zuckerbucks” complained the bulk of the funds went to Democratic strongholds and claimed it was an attempt by the billionaire to tip the vote in favor of Democrats.
Voters narrowly approve MPS referendum, preliminary results show | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee voters narrowly approved a referendum Tuesday that will increase property taxes to prevent major budget cuts at Milwaukee Public Schools, according to unofficial results reported Tuesday night.
The measure passed by just 1,720 votes. Officials counted 41,586 votes in favor, about 51% of voters. They counted 39,866 votes against the referendum, about 49% of voters.
“This is a huge victory for the children of Milwaukee,” MPS Superintendent Keith Posley said in a statement Tuesday night. “MPS is grateful to the city’s voters for supporting our continued efforts to help students succeed in school and in life.”
The referendum is projected to increase Milwaukee property taxes by about $2.16 per $1,000 of property value. For a $200,000 home, that’s an increase of $432. According to MPS projections, the referendum will not cause additional local tax hikes after the first year because it would trigger additional state funding.
The referendum was crafted to allow MPS to gain an additional $140 million for the next school year, then ramp up to $252 million annually by the 2027-28 school year.
Wausau mayor Katie Rosenberg loses reeelection bid | WPR
Wausau voters ousted Mayor Katie Rosenberg, electing conservative challenger Doug Diny with 52 percent of the vote.
Wausau spent millions modifying a new water treatment facility after testing in 2022 found all city wells contained elevated PFAS levels. The city instituted new filtration systems in early 2023, but facility costs led to skyrocketing water bills that became an issue in the local race.
Diny, who was elected to Wausau City Council in 2020, won 5,222 votes to Rosenberg’s 4,798.
Like many local races, the nominally nonpartisan race was characterized by ideological spending on both sides. According to WisPolitics, the state Democratic Party spent $191,000 in ad buys supporting Rosenberg. Diny spent about $92,000 on ads, according to the site, and received $21,800 in donations from the Marathon County Republican Party.
There were also dozens of school spending referenda on the ballot in communities across the state. Some of those results can be found here
In other news, Governor Evers announced a veto of a bill that was intended to protect girls who participate in youth sports in Wisconsin. Evers and other opponents viewed it as a threat to trans’ rights.
Evers vetoes legislation to keep trans athletes out of girls sports | The Center Square
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed the Republican-backed legislation that would have banned trans athletes from girls sports in the state…
The legislation would have kept anyone born a male out of girls sports in middle school, high school and at the college level.
Republicans approved the plan on a party-line vote. Rep Barb Dittrich, R-Oconjomowoc, was the author.
On Tuesday she said Evers turned his back on biological girls, and the vast majority of Wisconsin voters with his veto.
“Today, Wisconsin’s governor took a position against federal Title IX and against Wisconsin’s girls in a disgusting veto of the Save Women’s Sports Act that I authored with Sen. [Daniel] Knodl,” Dittrich said. “While he and his ilk continue to gaslight our citizens that this legislation was about hate and exclusion, he ignores the fact that the legislation provides categories for every Wisconsin student while respecting and protecting the safety and merit of our state’s biological girls.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, the group that runs high school sports in Wisconsin, allows trans athletes to compete.
Trans female athletes, those born male but who transitioned to female, must have undergone testosterone suppression therapy for a year before they can play on a girls team under WIAA rules.
Trans male athletes, those who were born female but who transitioned to male, only need to start taking testosterone in order to be able to play on boys teams.
While much of Wisconsin digs out of the snowstorm, we’ll continue to dig through the news to bring you Key Reads again tomorrow.
