In Madison, Wisconsin, a movement is underway among Republicans aiming to limit the sweeping partial veto powers held by governors in the state, a unique authority that has been exercised for almost a century.
Wisconsin stands apart as the only state in the U.S. where governors can employ partial vetoes on spending legislation, enabling them to remove specific words, numbers, and punctuation to modify the original intent or financial allocations. In contrast, governors in other states have the more straightforward authority to either cut or reduce overall spending.
Despite reductions in the governor’s vetoing capabilities over the past forty years, Wisconsin’s veto power is still regarded as the most potent in the nation. This issue has historically attracted bipartisan attention; both Republicans and Democrats have sought to impose stricter limitations on the veto process, depending on which party is in control.
On Monday, Republican lawmakers advanced a constitutional amendment aimed at narrowing the governor’s veto authority. This proposed amendment would restrict governors from amending legislation by deleting individual words or altering sentence structures pertaining to taxpayer-funded bills. Instead, governors would only be able to veto entire sections of such bills.
According to Republican state senators Julian Bradley and Cory Tomcyzk, along with state representative Scott Allen, the current use of partial vetoes essentially empowers governors as “super lawmakers.” They initiated this proposal to attract co-sponsors on Monday.
For the amendment to become effective, it must pass through two successive legislative sessions and receive approval from the electorate. The earliest this could occur is in 2027, especially as the upcoming legislative elections in 2026 will determine which party gains control during that period. Notably, the governor would not have the authority to veto this proposed amendment.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, has suggested that lawmakers should instead support the governor’s initiative aimed at allowing voters the ability to propose referendums. This suggestion has met with opposition from Republicans. Cudaback remarked that the Republican stance seems to favor power for themselves while denying it to the public.
This effort arises amidst a trend where Republicans have increasingly utilized constitutional amendments—measures that the governor cannot veto—to bypass Evers. Last year, five amendments were presented to voters, and a sixth amendment regarding the state’s voter ID law is scheduled for a vote on April 1.
The origins of Wisconsin’s partial veto power can be traced back to a 1930 constitutional amendment, although its scope has been curtailed in recent years. Voters passed amendments in 1990 and 2008, which eliminated the ability to modify individual letters to create new words—a practice dubbed the “Vanna White” veto—and restricted the power to combine words from multiple sentences into a new sentence, referred to as the “Frankenstein” veto.
Currently, a legal case is pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court that contests a partial veto enacted by Evers in 2023, which seeks to secure a funding increase for schools lasting 400 years. Evers’ action involved altering digits to establish a new conclusion date of 2425 for these funding increases.
The Supreme Court is tasked with the decision of whether to rule that the state constitution prohibits the governor from modifying digits to create a new year or if such alterations to language that extend durations beyond legislative approval are permissible.
