Vote for clean water

From the President of the United States to referendums on local taxes, the November 5 election will be an important one. When you cast your ballot, vote for clean water. Early voting begins on October 22. Find your polling place, check your voter registration status and more at myvote.wi.gov.

In Wisconsin, our families, our economy, and our beautiful outdoors depend on clean water.

There is a way for people to come together and protect our priceless water resources. But we need our leaders to make clean water a priority.

Ask your local leaders to vote for clean water by passing a Clean Water Now resolution.

Resolutions can be simple or detailed, but they all can affirm that “The State of Wisconsin should establish a right to clean water to protect human health, the environment, and the diverse cultural and natural heritage of Wisconsin.”

Monroe County was the first to pass a Clean Water Now resolution on March 22, 2022 (PDF). Ashland County approved an inspiring resolution in support of clean water on October 9, 2023 (JPG) and Marinette County passed a resolution on December 19, 2023 (PDF). Can your town or county do the same?

Referendums in 2021 and 2022 showed strong, bipartisan success when voters are directly asked on their ballots how much they care about Wisconsin’s water.

The question was: Should the State of Wisconsin establish a right to clean water to protect human health, the environment, and the diverse cultural and natural heritage of Wisconsin?

In the spring of 2021, voters in Marquette County (73%), Portage County (77%) and Wood County (76%) approved referendums.

In the spring of 2022, voters in Eau Claire County (79%) and La Crosse County (86%) approved referendums.

In the fall of 2022, voters in Adams (79.7%), Bayfield (80%), Green (84%), Juneau (79.6%), and Outagamie (79.5%) Counties approved referendums.

When voters are asked if they believe in the right to clean water, they vote YES in strong numbers that transcend political party lines.

However, through a bad deal with Governor Evers over shared revenue funding, state legislators took away citizens’ rights to add advisory referendums to local ballots.

State leaders may take away our right to voice our opinions directly on our ballots, but they can’t deny the overwhelming success of the Clean Water Now referendums or our basic right to clean water.