Wisconsin voters reject amendment that would have barred closing places of worship in emergencies
Wisconsin voters narrowly turned down a constitutional amendment that would have barred state and local governments from closing places of worship or banning religious gatherings during declared emergencies. State officials keep their existing emergency powers.
- Publication date
- Source publication date
- Access date
Wisconsin voters on Tuesday, Nov. 3, rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have barred the state and local governments from ordering places of worship closed, or banning gatherings there, during a declared emergency, including a public health emergency. About 52% voted no, according to unofficial results reported by the Wisconsin Examiner. The Associated Press projected the "no" result early Wednesday, WKOW reported.
The measure, Question 2, grew out of orders early in the COVID-19 pandemic that limited indoor religious gatherings to fewer than 10 people, Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) reported. Republican lawmakers put it on the ballot after passing it in two consecutive legislative sessions. Opponents argued that the state needs tools to protect public health in an emergency, the Wisconsin Examiner reported.
With the amendment's defeat, state and local officials keep their existing authority to restrict or close religious gatherings during declared emergencies, WKOW reported. On the same ballot, voters approved two other amendments, one limiting the governor's partial veto and one barring government discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex and other characteristics.
Sources
Wisconsin Public Radio: Voters give split decision on constitutional amendments to limit governor's powers, DEI (Nov 4, 2026)
https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-constitutional-amendments-2026-governors-powers-deiWisconsin Examiner: Wisconsin voters pass two of three constitutional amendments (Nov 4, 2026)
https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/11/04/wisconsin-voters-pass-two-of-three-constitutional-amendments/WKOW: Wisconsin retains ability to restrict, close gatherings during emergencies (Nov 4, 2026)
https://www.wkow.com/news/wisconsin-retains-ability-to-restrict-close-gatherings-during-emergencies/article_e2ed0ce6-0ba4-49b5-aca5-29d627e76a75.html
Corrections and updates
- Update, November 4, 2026: Brief prepared from Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR Staff; Nov. 4, 2026), the Wisconsin Examiner (Henry Redman; Nov. 4, 2026), and WKOW (Nov. 4, 2026). No threadId. No follows. stories.ts had no Wisconsin Question 2 story. The sheet date is Nov. 3, so sourcePublishedAt is 2026-11-03. The brief is in the Nov. 4 edition, so publishedAt and editionDate are 2026-11-04. Sources were opened Nov. 4, 2026, so accessedAt is 2026-11-04. Status is REPORTED. Tags are us and religious-liberty. Tradition is omitted. No persecution tag. The cited articles give no vote totals. The Wisconsin Examiner says "a 52% margin"; that is read as a 52% "no" share, not a 52-point margin. The body says "about 52%." The Associated Press projection is via WKOW. The results are unofficial. The Story type has no related field. Related briefs are only those that share a threadId. This brief has no threadId, so alabama-amendment-3-pledge-student-led-prayer-approved-nov2026 is not linked. No prior Wayback snapshot was found for Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Examiner, or WKOW. Save Page Now was not used. No photo.