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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce Fact Briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Republicans have not voted against banning child marriage in Wisconsin. That includes Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany, who was tied to the issue in a viral post.

That’s because the bill has never been brought to a vote — a decision that rests with Republicans who control the state Legislature.

The bill was introduced in the 2019,  2023 and 2025 sessions. The 2019 version, when Tiffany served in the state Legislature, had two Republican co-sponsors. Only Democrats have led the bill since then.

Legislative records show none of the bills got hearings or votes, a common fate for many Democratic-led bills.

The legislation would eliminate an exception that allows minors between the ages of 16 and 18 to get married with written consent from a parent or guardian.

The Legislative Reference Bureau previously said 27 minors under 18 got married in Wisconsin in 2024, an increase from 2023.

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Hope Karnopp has reported on politics for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel since 2023. She covered the 2024 presidential campaigns in Wisconsin and was on the ground at the RNC and DNC. She previously was a Wisconsin Watch reporting intern. Hope is originally from Green Bay and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.