Question 2: Freedom to gather in places of worship during an emergency.
BALLOT LANGUAGE
WHAT IT MEANS
Yes
No
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST
Yes
"During the emergencies of 2020, government executive orders restricted communal worship and forced churches to close, even while secular commercial retail, big-box stores, and liquor stores remained open.
The proposed Wisconsin Freedom to Worship Amendment (referred to on the ballot as the second question on the state referendum) seeks to establish a clear constitutional boundary. By passing this amendment, state and local governments will be permanently prohibited from shutting down or forbidding gatherings at places of worship during any declared state of emergency. This ensures that your local church is never treated as “non-essential” by the government again." - Wisconsin Family Council
"The Religious Freedom Constitutional Amendment on the November ballot promotes fairness and equal treatment for individuals who practice their faith
If liquor stores and big-box corporations can remain open during a state of emergency, churches should have the same freedom to gather. Government should not be able to declare a liquor store essential while telling a church that worship is not. This amendment allows churches to make the decision to close or stay open to serve their community during a state of emergency, just as government allows other entities like liquor and big box stores." - Wisconsin Family Action
No
"It is the government’s duty to protect the health of all U.S. residents. In cases of public health crises and other emergencies that pose a danger to the wellbeing of large groups of concentrated individuals, it is in the public’s best interest that the government be able to mitigate risks to public health in the limited, accountable ways it is currently able to. Temporary closures of physical places of worship do not infringe upon citizens’ right to freely worship in safer ways, as seen during the COVID pandemic." - League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
"AJR 10 would forbid public officials from closing places of worship during a public health emergency. I don’t know what kind of religion would deliberately endanger its followers by holding large, in-person gatherings during a deadly disease outbreak.
None of us want to be in a position to prevent large, meaningful gatherings of our neighbors from taking place, and thanks to virtual meeting technology, we don’t have to. We do have a responsibility as government officials to preserve the lives of our constituents to the degree that we can. AJR 10 prevents public health officers from doing their jobs, endangering countless lives in any future pandemic. To date, Wisconsin has lost nearly 19,000 lives to COVID-19. How many more might be lost in a future pandemic if this constitutional amendment passes?" - Chris Larson, State Senator
ENDORSEMENTS
Yes
Wisconsin Family Action (Conservative)
Pro-Life Wisconsin (Conservative)
Tom Tiffany (Conservative)
Dave Murphy (Conservative)
Steve Nass (Conservative)
No
Citizen Action of Wisconsin (Liberal)
Chris Larson (Liberal)
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin (Liberal)
Leaders Igniting Transformation (Liberal)
Tony Evers (Liberal)
FINANCIAL BACKING
The following information provides insight into the money being spent to pass or defeat the ballot measure.
Yes
This question is on the ballot in Wisconsin as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026. As of October 28, 2026, no committee to support the amendment has been identified. Thus, there is no record of funds raised to support the amendment.
No
This question is on the ballot in Wisconsin as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026. As of October 28, 2026, no committee to oppose the amendment has been identified. Thus, there is no record of funds raised to oppose the amendment.
OTHER INFORMATION
