At its regular meeting today (Thursday) the Milwaukee County Board approved two out of three proposed advisory referenda to be placed on the November ballot. They will have no authority. They will go nowhere. They are meaningless.

But each will cost $18,000 to be put on the ballots throughout the county.

A look at the three proposals:

A resolution providing for an advisory referendum on the November 8, 2022 election ballot to measure public opinion on whether the Wisconsin Legislature should prohibit the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semi-automatic “military-style” firearms, whose prohibition is allowable under the Wisconsin and United States Constitutions.

12 ayes, 5 no votes. The measure which needed two-thirds or 12 votes was adopted.

A resolution providing for an advisory referendum on the November 8, 2022, election ballot to measure public opinion on allowing adults 21 years of age and older to engage in the personal use of marijuana, while also regulating commercial marijuana-related activities, and imposing a tax on the sale of marijuana.

12 ayes, 5 no votes. The measure was adopted.

A resolution in support of access to abortion care and providing for an advisory referendum on the November 8, 2022, election ballot to measure public opinion on whether Wis. Stat. § 940.04, which bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy without exception for rape, incest, or health of the patient, should be repealed to allow legal access to abortion care.

11 ayes, 6 no votes. The measure failed because it needed 12.

Barring vetoes by the county executive and failures to override the questions will go before Milwaukee County voters in November.

Let’s be clear. These questions were designed, as correctly pointed out by Supervisor Steve Taylor, to drum up liberal turnout at the polls. The marijuana question is the same one posed years ago that was approved by a big margin. The result? The state Legislature ignored the final numbers and did absolutely nothing. The same will occur this time, even though naïve millennial voters will foolishly cast ‘yes’ votes mistakenly thinking they’ll get marijuana legalized.

Taylor argued the $18,000 per referendum could be used for other and better county purposes. But this is the county board we’re talking about. In one ear and out the other.

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