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No.

As of Nov. 29, 2023, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers had issued 1,111 pardons to people convicted of all crimes, not just cannabis convictions.

Evers’ announcement of pardons cited what the recipients did “to overcome their past mistakes and build positive, rewarding lives.”

A pardon is an official act of forgiveness for a criminal offense. It restores civil rights such as the right to hold office, possess firearms and hold certain licenses.

A pardon does not remove a conviction from public records.

The governor’s office said it does not have a database showing how many pardons were for marijuana convictions.

Evers’ latest pardons announcement, Nov. 22, listed pardons for 82 people, including 28 for a marijuana conviction, mostly possession.

The 96 pardons announced July 21 included 38 cannabis convictions.

That announcement said Evers had broken the record for pardons issued by a Wisconsin governor — Julius Heil’s 943 pardons between 1939 and 1943.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

State of Wisconsin: Press Release: Gov. Evers Grants 82 Pardons, Bringing Total Pardons Granted to 1,111

Wisconsin State Legislature: Pardons

evers.wi.gov: Pardon Information

State of Wisconsin: Gov. Evers granted pardons to the following people

State of Wisconsin: Press Release: Gov. Evers Grants 96 Pardons, Bringing Total Pardons Granted to 1,029

State of Wisconsin: Gov. Evers granted pardons to the following people

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Tom Kertscher joined Wisconsin Watch as a full-time reporter in October 2024. He started as a fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He is a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.