Wisconsin Governor Proposes Binding Referendum Process to Empower Voters on Issues Including Cannabis

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In a January 6, 2025, press release, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced a proposal to allow Wisconsin voters to put referenda and amendments on the ballot (1). Currently in the state, approving ballot measures and placing them on the ballot is done only by the Legislature. The Governor’s proposal would be included as part of the 2025–2027 biennial budget. In 2022, Governor Evers had proposed a statewide binding referendum process.

Through this proposal, Wisconsin voters could enact statutory and constitutional changes though a majority vote. More than 20 states – including nearby Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio – do allow voters to change state laws by referendum. The proposal comes after five statewide referenda were placed on the ballot in 2024 by lawmakers without significant input from voters.

The press release listed the issues that the majority of Wisconsinites supported, but had not progressed under the Republican legislative majority. One of the issues identified by the Marquette Law School Poll as being supported by a majority of voters is cannabis legalization and regulation. In particular, 86% of Wisconsinites, including approximately 80% of Republicans, were reported as believing medical cannabis should be legal. Additionally, over 60% were reported to agree that the use of cannabis should be legal. Other issues noted were gun laws, abortion laws, bipartisan redistricting process, and paid family leave.

In the press release, the governor explained his viewpoint on the aim of the proposal. “The will of the people should be the law of the land,” he stated. “Republican lawmakers have repeatedly worked to put constitutional amendments on the ballot that Republicans drafted, and Republicans passed, all while Republicans refuse to give that same power to the people of Wisconsin. And that’s wrong. Republican lawmakers shouldn’t be able to ignore the will of the people and then prevent the people from having a voice when the Legislature fails to listen. That has to change. If Republican lawmakers are going to continue to try and legislate by constitutional amendment, then they should give the people that same power and that’s what I’ll be asking them to do in my next budget.”

Governor Evers’ support of regulating cannabis like alcohol was noted in the press release, and he has previously voiced support for legal recreational and medical cannabis in Wisconsin. In January 2024, a bill for medical cannabis had been proposed in the state (2). The bill outlined a restrictive state-run program, limiting the number of dispensaries to five and qualifying only severe medical conditions.

References

1. Office of the Governor. NEW: Gov. Evers Announces Pathway for Wisconsinites to Enshrine the Will of the People. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/3ca94be (accessed Jan 9, 2025).
2. McEvoy, E. Proposal Unveiled for Medical Cannabis in Wisconsin. https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/proposal-unveiled-for-medical-cannabis-in-wisconsin (accessed Jan 9, 2025).