MILWAUKEE, WI – The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County urges voters to say “No” to the state constitution amendment question on the Nov. 3rd Election ballot:
QUESTION 3:
Governmental entity discrimination prohibited: Shall section 27 of article 1 of the constitution be created to prohibit governmental entities in the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration?
At first blush, the amendment may appear to be doing something new to prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, and national origin. But it’s not: discrimination already is prohibited under both federal and state law.
The key language in the amendment is “preferential treatment.” If enacted, the amendment could potentially undo governmental programs aimed at remedying longstanding disparities and ensuring equal opportunity. A few examples: community action programs and social-support networks; medical studies focused on Black infant/maternal mortality rates; government contracts and hiring.
Milwaukee League President Peg Schrader puts it this way: “The short of it is that this amendment is anti-equity. And because it would change our constitution, it would be difficult to reverse, if enacted.”
The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County joins others, including Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, in advising voters to vote no on the ballot question. Schrader continued, “Voting is a key way for an individual to express what he or she wants from our government and in our society. We urge voters to read up on the likely ramifications of the constitutional amendments and support equity by opposing this amendment.”
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, which advocates “vote no” on all three constitutional amendment ballot questions, has more information on the ballot questions on its website here: https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/
