Wisconsin Voters Limit Governor's Partial Veto Power

Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment on November 4, 2026, that prohibits the governor from using partial veto power to create new taxes or fees. The measure passed with more than 1.3 million votes.

The amendment follows a 2023 incident where Tony Evers used a partial veto to alter the end date of a school funding increase in the 2024-25 state budget by striking characters from the text. This practice of altering budget wording prompted the push for the constitutional restriction.

In 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld that specific veto. Chief Justice Jill Karofsky ruled that the state constitution did not limit partial vetoes based on the extent of policy changes. The new voter-approved amendment now explicitly restricts the practice regarding taxes and fees.