Citizen Action of Wisconsin, a Milwaukee-based advocacy group, has led the push to get the question on ballots in counties throughout the state.

So far, Eau Claire, Outagamie, Dunn, Lincoln and Milwaukee counties have approved the referendum for November, said Robert Kraig, the group’s executive director. Another 14 counties are in the process of considering the issue and another 11 have just initiated talks.

Clark County, a traditional red county, is voting on it Wednesday night. La Crosse County, in addition to Dane County, will vote on it Thursday night.

That means half of the state’s 72 counties are considering putting the question to voters on the November ballot.

“Walker and other Republicans would like nothing more than for this issue to go away,” Kraig said. “But getting the question on the ballot and creating a popular mandate is a way to keep the issue alive.”

While voter-approved resolutions lack the authority to force politicians to act, public opinion often does, Kraig said, particularly when voters and the elected officials representing them in Madison do not agree on an issue.