Yes. On April 4, 2023, an advisory referendum to impose a work requirement for welfare recipients was approved by voters in Wisconsin, with nearly 80% voting yes.
Author Archives: Jacob Alabab-Moser / Wisconsin Watch
Jacob Alabab-Moser joined as Wisconsin Watch’s fact checker in September 2022, as part of the effort by The Gigafact Project in partnership with different state-level news outlets to combat misinformation in the 2022 midterm elections. Jacob has several years of experience as a fact checker and research assistant at a variety of organizations, including at The Gigafact Project. He holds a BA from Brown University and is pursuing a MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Did Gov. Evers declare a state of emergency because of wildfires?
Yes. Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin declared a state of emergency on April 12, 2023, because of rising risk for wildfires.
Did Wisconsin Republicans gain a supermajority in the state Senate in 2023?
Yes. Rep. Dan Knodl’s win in an April 5, 2023 special election for Wisconsin’s 8th District Senate seat gave the GOP a supermajority in that body.
Have dozens of attacks on churches and pro-life clinics occurred since last summer?
Yes. More than 100 attacks on churches and pro-life clinics have occurred since May 2, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked.
Do fewer Americans believe it’s a good time to buy a house now than during the Great Recession?
Yes. In 2022, 30% of U.S. adults said it was a good time to buy a house, according to a Gallup poll.
Does Wisconsin’s Supreme Court have the highest ratio of women in the country?
Yes. Wisconsin has the highest proportion of women state Supreme Court justices among all states, with six of seven justices — 86% — identifying as female, according to research by The Badger Project.
Did Republican state senators block a meningitis vaccine mandate for Wisconsin children?
Yes. On March 9, Republican lawmakers blocked new policies set by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services under Gov. Tony Evers’ administration, including a meningitis vaccine requirement for students entering 7th grade and a booster requirement for those entering 12th grade.
Does Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers want to block expansion of the school choice program?
Yes. For his 2023-25 budget, Gov. Tony Evers proposed freezing enrollment in schools participating in a parental choice program for next school year at 2023-24 enrollment levels.
Did Wisconsin once belong to both the province of Quebec and the state of Virginia?
Yes. At different points in Wisconsin’s history, its territory was considered part of the now-Canadian province of Quebec and the state of Virginia.
Does Wisconsin have an above-average rate of repeat drunk drivers?
Yes. The rate of recidivism among drivers convicted for operating while intoxicated in Wisconsin surpasses the national estimate.
Do most Wisconsinites favor increasing public school funding?
Yes. Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsinites —63% — say they would favor increasing state support for public schools over increasing state support for students to attend private schools, according to a November 2022 Marquette Law School poll.
Has Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz rejected multiple debate requests ahead of the election?
Yes. Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz has rejected at least four speaking requests to debate her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, ahead of the April 4 Supreme Court election.