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Viral Facebook posts that claim ballots will be disqualified if a poll worker writes on a ballot before handing it to a voter at the check-in table are false. 

Wisconsin’s clerk manual explains a ballot must be initialed by two poll workers before it’s given to a voter, a practice also outlined in state law.

The manual also states poll workers should not pre-initial ballots before voters arrive at the check-in table, even if the polling place is busy. The initials make it a “live” ballot.

At the end of election night, poll workers check for those initials to make sure the number of ballots cast matches the number of voters recorded, election officials explained.

Sample ballot templates show the section where poll workers must sign their initials.

The same, nearly verbatim claim about ballot markings has circulated in past elections and has been debunked.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Elections Commission: Election Law & Administration in Wisconsin (ELAW) Manual
• Wisconsin State Legislature: Wis. Stat. § 6.80(2)(d)
• Wisconsin Elections Commission: Election For Wisconsin Legislature: 6.80(2)(d)ms
• PolitiFact: Script is safe: Your ballot won’t be disqualified if an election official writes on it
• USA TODAY: Election officials debunk claim that marked ballots are invalid

Is a Wisconsin ballot disqualified if a poll worker writes on it? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Republicans have had the power to place constitutional amendment questions on Wisconsin’s statewide ballots since taking control of the state Legislature in 2011.

To make those amendments, both houses of the state Legislature must pass the proposed change two sessions in a row. Then, a majority of voters must vote “yes” to ratify it.

Republicans have controlled the Legislature since 2011 and have used that power in recent years to pitch changes to the constitution, sometimes putting policies directly to voters that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed.

Most votes to advance recent referendums have been along party lines, but occasionally some Democrats voted for them. Republicans in the majority have enough votes to pass them without Democrats, and the governor can’t veto constitutional amendments.

Wisconsin voters have approved seven constitutional amendments since 2020 and rejected two. Three more are on the Nov. 3 ballot.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau: Ballot Initiative and Referendum in Wisconsin
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wild Wisconsin primary finish propels race for control of Legislature.
• Wisconsin State Legislature: SJR 116 Assembly Votes
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin voters face 3 referendums. Here's how recent votes have gone
• Wisconsin State Legislature: SJR 2 Assembly Votes
• MyVote Wisconsin: What’s On My Ballot

Have Republicans controlled constitutional amendment questions on Wisconsin ballots for the past 15 years? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Wisconsin’s state tax on gasoline and diesel is 30.9 cents per gallon, which has not increased or decreased since 2006.

In 2005, lawmakers repealed annual gas tax increases tied to inflation. That law took effect in April 2006, so the 30.9 rate has stayed the same for the last 20 years.

The gas tax, also called the motor vehicle fuel tax, is the largest source of revenue for the state’s transportation fund. In July 2026 alone, Wisconsin’s gas and diesel tax generated nearly $99 million.

While some states have waived their gas taxes amid high prices, Wisconsin has never done so. In Wisconsin, a gas tax holiday would have to pass in the Legislature and get the governor’s approval.

In addition to the state rate, federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 for diesel, which haven’t changed since 1993.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax
• Wisconsin State Legislature: 2005 Wisconsin Act 85
• Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Motor Vehicle Fuel and Alternative Fuel Tax
• Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Fuel Tax Statistical Report: July 2026
• Indiana Department of Revenue: Gasoline Use Tax: Gas Tax Holiday
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Some states are waiving gas taxes as prices soar. Could Wisconsin?
• Congressional Budget Office: Increase Excise Taxes on Motor Fuels and Index Them for Inflation

Has Wisconsin’s tax on gas and diesel stayed the same for 20 years? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Nine out of 446 bills with a Democrat as the first author got a hearing in the Wisconsin Legislature in the 2025-26 session.

The nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau provided statistics that confirmed most of the numbers in a social media post about the fate of bills introduced by Democrats, who are in the minority.

Nine Democratic-led bills got a public hearing, one of the first steps to becoming law. Those included enhancing perimenopause and menopause education, grants for AEDs in child care centers and free state park access for veterans and Gold Star families.

The LRB confirmed that no bills with a Democrat as the first author became law. That doesn’t take into account three laws where the Assembly or Senate version of the text passed, but a Democrat led the companion bill in the other chamber, such as a bipartisan law that expanded the missing child alerts system. 

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau Email Sept. 2, 2026
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Republicans control the Wisconsin statehouse. By how many seats?
• Wisconsin State Legislature Senate Bill 437
• Wisconsin State Legislature Senate Bill 356
• Wisconsin State Legislature Senate Bill 718
• Wisconsin State Legislature Senate Bill 466
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Bipartisan Wisconsin law expands to improve state's missing child alerts system

Did fewer than 10 Democrat-authored bills get a hearing in the 2025-26 legislative session? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Milwaukee County has the highest county sales tax in Wisconsin at 0.9%.

Every other county with a sales tax charges 0.5% on top of the statewide 5% rate.

Two counties – Waukesha and Winnebago – do not have a sales tax, according to a chart from the state Department of Revenue.

The city of Milwaukee is currently the only city with its own sales tax of 2%. Both the 0.9% county rate and 2% city rate went into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

Separately, Milwaukee has tourism-related taxes that support the Wisconsin Center District, including a 0.5% rate for restaurant meals.

The 0.9% county and 2% city sales taxes stem from a bipartisan 2023 law that sought to help Milwaukee avoid a financial crisis.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee for governor, signed the county-level legislation that put the 0.9% tax into effect. 

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Tax Rate FAQs
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee convention hotel plan advances, could boost tourism
• Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Local Exposition Taxes
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Tony Evers signs bill to keep Milwaukee financially stable, boosting funding to local governments
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Legislature passes bill aimed at averting Milwaukee financial crisis, lifting aid to local governments
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signs 0.4% sales tax increase

Does Milwaukee County have the highest sales tax in Wisconsin? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Republicans have not voted against banning child marriage in Wisconsin. That includes Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany, who was tied to the issue in a viral post.

That’s because the bill has never been brought to a vote — a decision that rests with Republicans who control the state Legislature.

The bill was introduced in the 2019,  2023 and 2025 sessions. The 2019 version, when Tiffany served in the state Legislature, had two Republican co-sponsors. Only Democrats have led the bill since then.

Legislative records show none of the bills got hearings or votes, a common fate for many Democratic-led bills.

The legislation would eliminate an exception that allows minors between the ages of 16 and 18 to get married with written consent from a parent or guardian.

The Legislative Reference Bureau previously said 27 minors under 18 got married in Wisconsin in 2024, an increase from 2023.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Watch: Child marriage with parental consent is still legal in Wisconsin. Republicans have blocked Democratic efforts to change that.
• Wisconsin State Legislature: 2019 Assembly Bill 715
• Wisconsin State Legislature: 2023 Assembly Bill 1229
• Wisconsin State Legislature: 2025 Assembly Bill 656
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Wisconsin Democrats' climate change agenda
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawmakers intro a bill to ban child marriage. 'This is not about teenagers falling in love'

Did Republicans vote against a bill banning child marriage in Wisconsin? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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The massive Interstate 94 construction project in Milwaukee County is expected to wrap up in 2033, according to a timeline on the state Department of Transportation’s project page.

Construction began on the I-94 East-West corridor in late 2025, meaning eight years will pass before utility and roadway construction are estimated to end in 2033.

Parts of the roughly $1.7 billion project will be completed earlier than 2033. The Stadium Interchange reconstruction will take about four years, for example.

The project covers 3 ½ miles of I-94 between 16th and 70th Streets in Milwaukee County and prompted long-term closures of several roads.

Plans include widening the freeway from three to four lanes in each direction, eliminating left-turn ramps, redesigning the Stadium Interchange and reconstructing aging roads. 

Crash rates in the corridor are higher than the statewide average, and 13 bridges do not meet clearance standards, according to the DOT.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Department of Transportation: Interstate 94 East-West
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's 27th Street Bridge to close long-term for I-94 construction.
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who's paying for the $1.7 billion I-94 expansion in Milwaukee?
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know as construction starts on the $1.7 billion I-94 expansion in Milwaukee County

Is the Milwaukee I-94 construction project expected to take eight years? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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If the 2026 Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor seems large, 2018 certainly had it beat.

That year, 10 names were on the Democratic primary ballot, plus an 11th write-in candidate, according to results of the 2018 partisan primary kept by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Two Republican candidates and two additional write-ins appeared on the 2018 GOP primary ballot. 

The Aug. 11, 2026, primary ballot includes seven Democrats and two Republicans.

In both years, a few candidates dropped out of the race, but their names remained on the ballot due to approval deadlines. 

As of July 14, that includes Democrats Missy Highes and David Crowley. So, only five of the Democrats on the Aug. 11 ballot are still campaigning.

In 2018, two higher-profile candidates had also dropped out by late June: Andy Gronik and Dana Wachs, though both appeared on the ballot.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Elections Commission: 2018 Fall Partisan Primary Results: Ward by Ward – Governor
• MyVote Wisconsin: What’s On My Ballot
• Wisconsin Elections Commission: Commission Meeting June 9, 2026 – Ballot Access
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Democrat Missy Hughes drops out of Wisconsin governor race
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley withdraws from governor's race

Did more Democrats run for Wisconsin governor in 2018 than in 2026? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.