This post originally appeared at https://wifamilycouncil.org/radio/keeping-our-republic-2/
2025 | Week of February 17 | Radio Transcript #1606
Governor Evers is pushing back against the state legislature repeatedly doing an end-run around him and his veto pen with their passing a resolution in two consecutive sessions and then sending it to the people for a final vote.
The Title Town Times reports that Governor Evers will propose as part of the state’s next budget a measure to grant Wisconsin residents the power to initiate ballot referenda, allowing citizens to bypass the state legislature and vote directly on critical issues, such as abortion and marijuana legalization, and likely a host of others.
Critics argue this would undermine the principles of representative governance by shifting legislative power to the whims of public opinion, often driven by emotional or populist appeals.[1]
This approach to lawmaking, either by statute or amending our state constitution is sold as a “direct democracy” option. We are not a democracy. We are a Republic—a representative form of government. Our state’s current process for creating a law or amending our constitution with a vote of the people after our elected officials have passed it, not once but twice, respects this form of government and should not be changed.
Unsurprisingly, leftist organizations and activists in other states are already using direct ballot referenda to push radical initiatives past lawmakers.
Let’s look at the abortion industry: the mere fact that the Guttmacher Institute, the so-called “research” organization that originated from Planned Parenthood, celebrates citizen-led ballot initiatives should be a major clue that this electoral process is one that can be easily abused for leftist purposes. On its website, Guttmacher plainly states:
In the 18 states where a citizen-led ballot initiative process is available, ballot measure campaigns give state advocates a high-profile opportunity to highlight abortion rights and allow voters to have a direct say in the future of abortion access in their state.[2]
Just looking at the direct ballot results from the 2024 elections where only three states protected life, it is clear that big money backing the abortion lobby pushed the “citizen-led” initiatives that in the majority of states with an initiative led to fewer protections for the preborn.
Similarly, the marijuana industry had its sights set on citizen-led ballot initiatives in several states in 2024 but thankfully fell short. You can bet, however, that we will see further attempts to legalize marijuana and other drugs through direct referenda, and that the LGBTQ+ lobby will use the template to increasingly push for radical policy change that circumvents the legislative process of a republic.[3]
So, we can be sure that should citizen-led ballot initiatives be allowed in Wisconsin as Governor Evers proposes, we will be up against the big money machines that will push anti-life and anti-family policies here in our state, using their coffers in aggressive campaigns to overwhelm pro-life and pro-family organizations and citizens that have significantly less funding.
Many conservative Christian citizens are feeling a well-understood sense of relief after the 2024 elections, but protecting freedom in our state and nation requires constant vigilance. Wisconsinites have the opportunity now to consider the potential ramifications of Governor Evers’ direct referenda proposal and reach out to state legislators to communicate their opinion on this proposal, whether in the budget or as standalone legislation which could be offered by his Democrat friends. We should note that Assembly Speaker Republican Robin Vos, representing the majority party, says the idea is, “dead on arrival.”
Ultimately, the United States is a Republic–that is made abundantly clear in Article IV, Section 4 of our US Constitution. When Benjamin Franklin was asked by a concerned citizen what form of government the convention had given the citizens, Franklin responded, “A Republic—if you can keep it.” A Republic requires an educated, involved citizenry who elect carefully those who represent them. It is a specifically crafted representative form of government that protects minority groups from being trampled by mob rule—like a democracy—through a system of checks and balances.
Direct referenda bypass those checks and balances and jettison representation, the heart of a republic and therefore should be considered with great caution because such moves make it very difficult to keep this Republic.
For Wisconsin Family Council, this is Julaine Appling, reminding you that God, through the Prophet Hosea, said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
[1]https://titletowntimes.com/state/evers-proposes-referenda-a-bid-for-direct-democracy-in-wisconsin-republicans-call-is-dead-on-arrival/
[2]https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/11/abortion-rights-state-ballot-measures-2024
[3]https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/faculty-and-research/drug-enforcement-and-policy-center/research-and-grants/drugs-on-the-ballot
Sierra John