Yes. An October 2020 review by WisPolitics.com found Wisconsin had the least active full-time legislature during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author Archives: Hope Karnopp / Wisconsin Watch
Hope Karnopp joined Wisconsin Watch as a reporting intern in May 2022. She is a journalism major and is pursuing certificates in public policy and environmental studies at UW-Madison. Hope previously covered state politics as an intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She also works with the Daily Cardinal and hosts a radio segment about campus news for WORT-FM, which has been recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club.
Posted inFact briefs
Does Wisconsin have a projected $5 billion surplus?
Yes. The state Department of Revenue estimated in August that Wisconsin will have a $5 billion surplus by July 2023, the start of a new fiscal year.
Posted inFact briefs
Did the state’s score for Milwaukee Public Schools drop in 2021-22?
Yes. Milwaukee Public Schools fell from a three-star “meets expectations” rating to a two-star “meets few expectations” rating between 2020-21 and 2021-22.
This year, the district received an overall score of 56.8, compared to 58.1 the previous year.
Posted inFact briefs
Do ‘school choice’ programs already exist in Wisconsin?
Yes. Wisconsin families have multiple school choice options, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. One option is open enrollment, which allows students to enroll in schools in districts other than where they live or attend virtual charter schools.
Posted inFact briefs
Do a majority of Wisconsinites support legalizing marijuana?
Yes. Just under two-thirds (64%) of registered voters support legalizing marijuana, according to a Marquette Law School Poll released Nov. 2, 2022. Democrats and independents were more likely to support legalization, at 82% and 67%, compared to 43% of Republicans.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Mandela Barnes get more votes than Tim Michels?
Yes. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes received about 42,000 more votes than Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels. Both Barnes and Michels lost their statewide races.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Wisconsin Republicans achieve a veto-proof supermajority in the Legislature in the 2022 election?
No. While Republicans will hold a supermajority in the Senate, they fell short in the Assembly — meaning they lack the necessary two-thirds majority in both chambers to override Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ vetoes.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Tony Evers receive five more votes than challenger Tim Michels in Port Washington?
Yes. Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who won his re-election race early Wednesday, received five more votes than Republican candidate Tim Michels in the city of Port Washington, according to unofficial results from Ozaukee County.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Dane County, Wisconsin have 88% voter turnout in 2022, tied with the 2018 midterms?
No. Dane County saw 80.3% turnout in the 2022 midterm election, according to unofficial results last updated at 5:12 a.m. on Nov. 9.
Posted inFact briefs
Can Wisconsin voters in central count communities return absentee ballots to polling places?
No. Voters living in the 38 central count communities — including Milwaukee, Green Bay, Beloit and Janesville—cannot return absentee ballots to their polling places on Election Day, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Posted inFact briefs
Is Joan Beglinger still running for Wisconsin governor?
No. Joan Ellis Beglinger, an Independent candidate for Wisconsin governor, ended her campaign Sept. 4, 2022 — too late to remove her name from the Nov. 8 ballot. Beglinger endorsed Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson.
Posted inFact briefs
Are employers required to offer time off to vote on Election Day in Wisconsin?
Yes. Wis. Stat. § 6.76 requires all employers in Wisconsin to give employees up to three hours to vote on Election Day. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, employees must tell their employer before Election Day that they will be absent to vote. The employer can decide what time of day the employee can be excused to vote.