Welcome to the Thursday, March 13, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Utah voters to decide on two constitutional amendments regarding ballot measure processes
- One hundred seventy-seven years ago today, Wisconsin voters ratified their state Constitution
- On the Ballot examines the possible government shutdown
Utah voters to decide on two constitutional amendments regarding ballot measure processes
On Nov. 3, 2026, Utah voters will decide on two constitutional amendments that could affect the state’s ballot measure processes. Today, we’ll give you the full rundown on these amendments—what they would do, how they got on the ballot, and which states already have similar laws.
Let’s start with the Utah 60% Vote Requirement for Ballot Initiatives to Increase or Expand Taxes Amendment. Utah is one of 26 states that allow at least one form of statewide citizen initiative.
Currently, any initiative regarding tax changes only needs to win a simple majority vote to become law in Utah. If voters approve the amendment, initiatives regarding certain tax changes will need to win at least 60% of the vote to become law. Those changes include:
- Imposing a new tax.
- Expanding an existing tax to apply to additional items or transactions.
- Increasing an existing tax rate.
- Adjusting a property tax rate in a way that reduces the rate less than it would decrease under current law.
State Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (R), who supports the amendment, said, “This is a fairly simple resolution. It asks the citizens of Utah to consider, ‘How easy do you want it to be to raise taxes on your neighbors.’” State Sen. Kathleen Riebe (D), who opposes the amendment, said it creates “an onerous threshold for the public to speak.”
In Utah, the Legislature needs a two-thirds majority vote in both the state’s Senate and House of Representatives during one legislative session to put an amendment on the ballot. On Feb. 5, the Senate approved Senate Joint Resolution 2(SJR2)—the bill to put the amendment on the ballot—21-8. On March 6, the House approved the bill 55-17.
If approved, this amendment wouldn’t be the first time Utah voters approved a supermajority requirement for a specific ballot measure topic. In 1998, voters approved Proposition 5 56.2% to 43.8%, requiring a two-thirds (66.67%) vote to approve any initiatives concerning hunting. Three other states also have supermajority requirements for specific ballot measure topics:
- Arizona requires a 60% vote for voters to pass measures to approve taxes. Voters adopted this requirement in 2022 when they approved Proposition 132 50.7% to 49.3%.
- Washington requires a 60% supermajority approval from all voters casting a ballot on initiatives or referendums related to lotteries. Voters adopted this requirement in 1972 when they approved SJR 5 61.7% to 38.3%.
- In Oregon, a measure proposing a supermajority vote, such as a 60% vote, on ballot measures must be passed by the same vote threshold, such as 60%, as the measure itself proposes. Voters adopted this requirement in 1998 when they approved Measure 63 55.3% to 44.7%.
Now, let’s shift our focus to Utah Publication Requirements for Constitutional Amendments Measure. Currently, all amendments on the Utah ballot must be published for two months in at least one newspaper in every county in the state. If voters approve the amendment, the Legislature would decide how to publish it for 60 days immediately before the next general election.
State Rep. Anthony Loubet (R), who supports the amendment, said, “Since [publishing the amendments in newspapers are] not really the best notice anymore, then the way to do that is to amend the Constitution and clarify it, you know, make it more modern with what our current practices are.”
Alliance for a Better Utah spokesperson Elizabeth Hutchings said the organization is neutral on the amendment and recognized the need to update the publication requirements for amendments. She also said that the state’s Constitution is “supposed to be hard to change,” and when introducing language such as “in a manner provided by statute,” the Legislature should be cautious not to undermine the integrity of the state’s Constitution.
On Feb. 25, the House approved House Joint Resolution 10 (HJR 10)—the bill to put the amendment on the ballot—70-0. On March 7, the Senate unanimously approved the bill.
Utah is one of 32 states with a publication requirement for proposed constitutional amendments. Eighteen of those states specifically require publication in a newspaper. The map below highlights which states have publication requirements for constitutional amendments.
Since the Utah Constitution was adopted in 1896, it has been amended 134 times. Voters last approved new amendments to the state’s Constitution on Nov. 5, 2024, when voters approved two.
For more information on both of the amendments in Utah, click here.
One hundred seventy-seven years ago today, Wisconsin voters ratified their state Constitution
On this date in 1848, Wisconsin voters approved a ballot measure ratifying the state’s Constitution. The vote was 16,799 (72.5%) to 6,384 (27.5%). On May 29, 1848, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a bill admitting Wisconsin into the Union. That same day, President James Polk (D) signed the bill, making Wisconsin the 30th state.
Wisconsin’s Constitution has been amended 151 times since its ratification. Voters last approved a new amendment—the Wisconsin Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment—on Nov. 5, 2024. Voters approved the amendment—which prohibits the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote—2,272,446 (70.5%) to 950,445 (29.5%).
Before approving the measure ratifying the Constitution in 1848, Wisconsin voters rejected an earlier draft constitution on April 5, 1847. The vote was 20,231 (58.9%) to 14,119 (41.1%).
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the draft that voters rejected included “a number of progressive articles, such as allowing non-citizen immigrants to vote, granting white women the right to own property, and opening the question of Black suffrage to popular referendum.” However, the draft that voters approved “omitted any mention of white women’s property rights or Black male suffrage” and granted suffrage to “white male citizens, immigrant men who had declared intention to become citizens, and Native American men who had been declared U.S. citizens.”
Our coverage of this measure is part of our Historic Ballot Measures project (HBM), which will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the U.S. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and the voting public on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they’ve covered, and the role they have played in our civic life.
For a comprehensive list of all Wisconsin ballot measures since 1846, click here.
On the Ballot examines the possible government shutdown
In this episode of On the Ballot, our weekly podcast that connects people to politics, we’re examining something you may have heard a lot about recently—a possible government shutdown. Our producer, Frank Festa, and staff writer, Ellen Morrissey, will explain what’s happening in Congress and what it could mean for you.
A government shutdown happens when Congress does not pass legislation to fund federal agencies and programs before the start of the fiscal year, which was Oct. 1. However, when that deadline came up, Congress passed a continuing resolution that extended the funding deadline.
Now, Congress is working on passing another resolution before the March 14 deadline. So far, the House of Representatives passed the resolution 217-213. The vote was mostly along party lines, except for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who voted against the resolution, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who voted in favor.
Now, the Senate will decide on the resolution. Unlike the House, which needed a simple majority to pass the resolution, the Senate must reach a 60-vote threshold to pass it.
To listen to this episode and more, click here. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to On the Ballot on YouTube or your preferred podcast app.