CONTACT: Craig Thompson, Transportation Development Association (TDA) Executive Director
(608) 256-7044;
Craig.Thompson@tdawisconsin.org
Measure will be on ballot in at least 51 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties
MADISON – Voters in at least 51 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties will have the opportunity to make their voices heard on the importance of keeping the state’s transportation fund intact, now that Bayfield and Iron County Boards have voted to add an advisory referendum to their fall election ballots. Specifically, the boards voted yesterday to add an advisory referendum question on whether to amend the Wisconsin constitution to prohibit the transfer or use of money in the state’s transportation fund for purposes not related to transportation. Forty-nine other Wisconsin county boards already voted to add the measure to the ballot in their counties.
“We are very pleased with the number of counties that will have the advisory referendum question on the fall ballot,” said Craig Thompson, executive director of the non-profit Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin. “Fifty was our goal, and we have exceeded it.”
Thompson’s group is part of Finding Forward, a broad-based coalition that supports amending the Wisconsin constitution to prohibit transferring money from the transportation fund to the state’s general fund or using it for purposes unrelated to transportation. Finding Forward’s grass roots efforts are supported by a diverse group of partners including private businesses, organized labor, regional planning interests, state, county and municipal officials, agricultural and housing organizations, and more.
“The breadth of support for this issue has been extraordinary”, said Thompson. “When you look at the array of groups that have decided to advocate for this referendum and then consider 50-plus county boards each voting to place this question on the ballot, there is no mistaking how deeply this issue resonates with people from all areas of the state.”
Finding Forward notes that the majority of states in the nation currently protect their transportation funds via constitutional provisions. More information about members of Finding Forward and the campaign to safeguard Wisconsin’s transportation fund is available at http://www.FindingForwardWisconsin.org.
As of today, the advisory referendum will appear on the fall election ballot in the following counties:
Adams
Ashland
Barron
Bayfield
Brown
Burnett
Calumet
Chippewa
Clark
Columbia
Crawford
Dodge
Door
Douglas
Eau Claire
Forest
Grant
Green
Green Lake
Iron
Jackson
Juneau
Kewaunee
La Crosse
Lafayette
Lincoln
Manitowoc
Marathon
Marquette
Menominee
Monroe
Outagamie
Ozaukee
Pierce
Pepin
Polk
Portage
Price
Racine
Richland
Shawano
Sheboygan
St. Croix
Taylor
Trempealeau
Vernon
Vilas
Waukesha
Waupaca
Waushara
Winnebago