When Wisconsin voters go to the polls on Nov. 6, they will vote in some key national and statewide races, including the election for governor, a U.S. Senate seat, and the state attorney general.
And in many places, voters will decide the fate of local school districts which are seeking money for major projects. The number of such referendums has ballooned in Wisconsin and the issue of school funding has become central to the gubernatorial race.
Jason Stein is the research director for the Wisconsin Policy Forum in Madison, and the author of a new study on school referendums. He says there's a reason these referendums are on ballots around the state this year.
"You don’t go to the voters if you don’t feel like there’s some need for it, and you don’t go to the voters if you feel like it’s hopeless in terms of getting it passed," Stein explains.
You can view the full report, "School Referenda on the Rise: Ballot questions for K-12 funding at highest levels since 1990s," which was released by the Wisconsin Policy Forum this month.
