By refusing to join a new federal tax credit program launching Jan. 1, Gov. Tony Evers is preventing Wisconsin students in public and private schools from accessing scholarships created by the program.
The initiative provides federal tax credits up to $1,700 to people who donate to scholarship-granting organizations, which would then distribute funds to eligible families for educational expenses.
Evers vetoed Republican legislation that would have required Wisconsin to participate. Evers argued that most of the program’s benefits would go to private schools.
The amount of scholarship funding Wisconsin students would have received is uncertain because it depends on how many taxpayers donate. Supporters argue that participation could generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
The American Federation for Children, a school choice advocacy group, estimates that if 10% of eligible Wisconsin taxpayers participated, donations could generate roughly $514.3 million per year for scholarships.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
While a Wisconsin state senator, Tom Tiffany voted for state budgets that funded the state Department of Corrections — not for computer tablets the department made available to prison inmates.
Tiffany’s votes were raised by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 3 election for governor.
Crowley has been criticized for approving tablets for county jail inmates.
In response, Crowley claimed that Tiffany, now the Republican gubernatorial nominee and congressman, “voted for these types of iPads.”
Tiffany voted for the 2017-19 and 2019-21 state budgets. They contained thousands of provisions across numerous departments.
In2018, Corrections made tablets available to inmates to purchase.
The Legislature did not take votes on the tablet program.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
On Wednesday night, the candidates for Wisconsin governor will face off in their only debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election — and based on how the campaign has gone so far, a lot of claims and accusations will fly.
To help voters sort through the noise, Wisconsin Watch and our partners at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have been fact-checking claims about the candidates.
Do you know whether Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee, supports releasing half of Wisconsin’s prison population, or whether homicides have increased 57% under his watch?
How about U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee? Do you know whether he voted to defund the police or for a $68 billion tax break for data centers?
Before you watch the debate at 7 p.m. Wednesday on WISN.com, read on to know the facts.
And before you vote, check out our other Fact Briefs and our comprehensive voter guide too.
No. Tiffany cited Crowley’s 2019 support for Gov. Tony Evers’ goal as support for his claim that Crowley “wants to let half the prison population out in Wisconsin.” Evers’ goal was aimed at gradually achieving the 50% reduction.
No. The number of juvenile homicide victims in Milwaukee County has ranged between 19 and 27 annually, with no clear trend upward or downward, since Crowley took office. Plus, most law enforcement in the county is done by city and village police departments; they are not under the control of the county executive.
Yes. Milwaukee County sales and property taxes have increased while Crowley has been county executive, though property taxes have increased less than the statewide average.
Yes. Crowley gave final approval to a 2022 contract requested by the Sheriff’s Office and approved by the Board of Supervisors that provides communication tablets to inmates and approved a three-year extension in 2025.
No. Congress did not vote up-or-down on giving data center operators a $68 billion tax break. An attack ad cited Tiffany’s vote for the Big Beautiful Bill Act. It contains business tax breaks, including 100% depreciation, but they are available broadly, including for data centers, to deduct the cost of many investments.
Yes. Both have emphasized how they would regulate artificial intelligence data centers, but they also have spoken favorably of them. Crowley: Wisconsin can “become an AI and a data hub not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe.” Tiffany: Data centers are “exciting new technology.”
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.
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.
The candidates for Wisconsin governor in the Nov. 3 election have emphasized how they would regulate artificial intelligence data centers, but they also have spoken favorably of them.
Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, said in November that government should “make sure that this is fertile ground for entrepreneurs and businesses to either stay or move right here to the state of Wisconsin. I do think that data centers play a huge role. …
“There’s an opportunity for us to really become an AI and a data hub not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany voted in December to speed the process for permitting construction of projects such as data centers.
In January, he called data centers “exciting new technology.”
In August, Tiffany said data centers are needed to keep technology from being outsourced to China, WSAW-TV reported.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
We’ve written more extensively about this topic in a different article. You can read more about it here.
Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, received more than 90% in campaign contributions from three billionaires – Diane Hendricks, Richard Uihlein and Elizabeth Uihlein – for the reporting period of July to September 2026.
Tiffany’s campaign fund received more than $26 million, and $24 million, or 93%, came from the Republican Party of Wisconsin. The party received $27 million of its $29 million from the Uihleins and Hendricks in that period.
Individuals can donate up to $20,000 to a campaign, but can give unlimited amounts to a party, which can then contribute unlimited amounts to a campaign.
Throughout the entire campaign period dating to July 2025, Tiffany raised $42 million, with more than $34 million, about 80%, coming from the Republican Party of Wisconsin. The three billionaires contributed more than $40 million to the party, which has raised a total of $42 million since July 2025.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Gov. Tony Evers used his partial veto powers in July 2025 to remove funding for four auditor positions from the 2025-27 state budget.
In his veto message, Evers said the provision would cost $408,400 over the two-year budget cycle.
Evers said the Legislative Audit Bureau “has sufficient funding and position authority to fulfill its role of completing statutorily required audits and discretionary audits as directed by the Legislature.”
Evers and Republican legislative leaders reached a budget compromise in 2025 in which the governor agreed not to alter items in the agreement through partial vetoes, but Evers’ staff contended he could still use partial vetoes in other parts of the budget.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, cited the veto in September as part of a campaign pledge to increase the number of state auditors to increase state government transparency.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, has not supported defunding the police — an effort to reduce law enforcement funding by shifting it to other programs.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee, claimed Tiffany voted six times to defund the police.
None of those House votes would have taken money away from law enforcement.
Tiffany voted against a bill that would have directly funded local police departments.
Other measures he opposed were different, including:
Funding more than a dozen federal agencies, including NASA and the Commerce and Justice departments.
Health and Human Services grants for violence intervention programs.
Grants for mental health professionals, rather than law enforcement, to respond to certain emergencies.
We found no evidence that Tiffany backed reducing police funding.
In 2022, Tiffany said “it’s time to stop the defund the police movement.” In 2026 he criticized the movement.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee for governor, has supported reducing Wisconsin’s prison population through crime prevention and reducing recidivism.
Crowley has supported rehabilitative services for nonviolent offenders and commutations; decriminalizing cannabis; and expanding drug courts. He has backed education programs aimed at diverting youths from committing crimes.
Crowley also has backed job training and other efforts aimed at reducing recidivism and prevention measures such as “violence interruption programs.”
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers set a goal of eventually reducing the prison population by half, though it recently hit a new record.
The campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany cited Crowley’s 2019 support for Evers’ goal as support for Tiffany’s claim that Crowley “wants to let half the prison population out in Wisconsin.”
Tiffany said he’s open to adding prison capacity to address the record number of inmates without releasing those in custody.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Tiffany was not present to vote on a Sept. 15 war resolution that came three days after he survived an emergency landing of a plane carrying him from a campaign event.
Tiffany said during a May 14 podcast appearance that it was time to “wrap up” the conflict in Iran. He said on Sept. 22 that his past no votes were because the president already has the authority to exit the war.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Roll Call 85
Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Roll Call 114
Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Roll Call 170
Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Roll Call 199
Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Roll Call 282
Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Roll Call 307
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.
Since David Crowley became Milwaukee County executive, the number of juvenile homicide victims in the county has ranged between 19 and 27 annually, with no clear trend upward or downward.
Crowley, who was sworn in in May 2020, is the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin governor in the Nov. 3 election.
Here are the number of Milwaukee County homicide victims ages 6-17:
Congress did not vote up-or-down on giving data center operators a $68 billion tax break, despite that claim in an ad targeting U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.
Tiffany, a northern Wisconsin Republican, is running for governor in the Nov. 3 election.
The ad from a Democratic Governors Association-backed group cites Tiffany’s 2025 vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
A yes vote on the nearly 900-page federal budget package, filled with hundreds of tax breaks and spending cuts, was not necessarily a yes vote for any single provision.
A left-leaning think tank said four tech companies — Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon — avoided $68 billion in 2025 taxes from the depreciation and three other tax breaks in the bill.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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.
Milwaukee County sales and property taxes have increased under County Executive David Crowley.
The Democratic nominee in the Nov. 3 election for governor takes credit for “the largest property tax cut” in the county’s history.
That occurred after Act 12, a bipartisan state law, allowed local leaders to raise Milwaukee city and county sales taxes and provided local governments in Wisconsin more state aid.
The law was largely aimed at helping the Milwaukee governments avert financial crises.
Crowley signed the near-doubling of the county sales tax, to 0.9% from 0.5%, after the Milwaukee County Board approved it.
Property tax levies have increased under Crowley, who took office in May 2020, though not as much as the state average (2.6% from 2020 to 2023):
2020: $304.8 million
2021: $310.3 million (1.8% increase)
2022: $313.8 million (1.1%)
2023: $292.3 million (-6.9%)
2024: $299.6 million (2.5%)
2025: $309.9 million (3.4%)
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the northern Wisconsin Republican running for governor in the Nov. 3 election, has rarely diverged from supporting President Donald Trump since Trump began his second term in January 2025.
UCLA/Voteview found Tiffany’s support for Trump at 93% in 2025 House of Representatives votes.
The methodologies varied on the number of votes reviewed.
In 2026, Tiffany’s votes supporting Trump included opposing a measure that would have blocked Trump from ordering more strikes on Iran. Tiffany also backed Trump in voting against a bill to provide aid to Ukraine and sanction Russia.
On statements, Tiffany diverged from Trump in August. Tiffany said he opposed moves to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” and import cheaper ground beef.
In September, he supported Trump’s proposed $5,000 “dividend.”
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley gave final approval to a 2022 contract requested by the Sheriff’s Office and approved by the Board of Supervisors that provides communication tablets to county jail and House of Correction inmates.
Crowley, the Democratic candidate for governor, also approved a three-year extension in 2025.
Generally all inmates can access tablets, which can be used for text messages. People who want to message with inmates must create an account.
The tablets cannot access the internet. They can access the contractor’s “intranet,” which includes entertainment and educational material.
The goal is to help inmates “stay connected to family, loved ones, and legal and support services,” the county executive’s office said.
The tablets became an issue in the gubernatorial campaign after a judge Aug. 28 raised questions about their use for witness intimidation, victim harassment and child pornography access.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Milwaukee County Legislative Information Center: File 21-1004
Milwaukee County Legislative Information Center: File 250222
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Wisconsin Republican running for governor, moved to reverse Democrat Joe Biden’s win over Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Dec. 10, 2020: Signed a legal brief supporting Texas’ U.S. Supreme Court bid to overturn the results in Wisconsin and three other battleground states that backed Biden.
Jan. 5, 2021: Announced plans to vote against certifying the Electoral College results, claiming hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin votes were cast illegally, and later said he would have voted against certifying Wisconsin’s election results.
Jan. 6, 2021: Voted to object to counting electoral votes in Pennsylvania and Arizona, which supported Biden.
May 18, 2026: Backed an FBI probe of Wisconsin’s 2020 election.
August 2026: Said he didn’t regret voting against certifying the election.
Sept. 4, 2026: Told Wisconsin Watch that Biden won but he still welcomes law enforcement investigations into Wisconsin’s 2020 election.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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.
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.
Login
