Here & Now

Fast Facts: A Supermajority in the Wisconsin Legislature?

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, we turn to a possibility that’s rare in political history. That would be a legislative super-majority in Wisconsin. While Republicans have strong majorities in both the Assembly and Senate right now, they’re striving for even greater control to make their legislation veto-proof. “Here & Now’s” Steven Potter breaks down how Republicans can achieve a super-majority in this Fast Facts report.

Tony Evers:

Senate Bill 210 not approved.

Steven Potter:

Over the past four years, Democratic Governor Tony Evers has vetoed a record-setting 146 bills sent to him by the Republican-controlled state legislature. These vetoes have included everything from education and voting restrictions to pandemic policies and new state welfare requirements. But Governor Evers’ ability to veto, or stop, the legislation he disagrees with could soon come to an end. That would happen if Republicans achieve what’s called a ‘supermajority,’ which would allow the legislature to override a governor’s veto. To do this, Republicans would need to win elections in two-thirds of the seats in both the state Senate and state Assembly. As it stands right now, Republicans have a 61 to 38 majority over Democrats in the state Assembly. They would need to take an additional five seats from Democrats in the November election to achieve a 66-seat supermajority in that chamber. In the Senate, Republicans currently have a 21 to 12 majority over Democrats. To achieve a two-thirds supermajority there, Republicans would only need to flip one seat. In order to override a governor’s veto, both the state Senate and Assembly must vote to do so. One chamber cannot override a veto alone. In the event that Republican challenger Tim Michels wins the governor’s election on November 8, overriding a veto will likely prove unnecessary as Republicans will have complete control over all lawmaking bodies of state government. The last time one political party had a two-thirds supermajority in both the state Senate and Assembly was in 1977 and the controlling party was Democrats. And the last time a veto was overridden was part of the state budget bill in 1985. For “Here & Now,” I’m Steven Potter.