They may not get anywhere near the attention given to top-of-the-ticket races – such as the contest between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Mary Burke – but a pair of referendums on local ballots this Nov. 4 are nonetheless important. While these are advisory referendums – in other words, they won’t change any laws on their own – the two measures nonetheless allow Chippewa Valley voters to voice their opinions on two major statewide matters. Voters’ opinions may, in turn, influence elected officials’ agendas when they take office early next year. (Need an example of the impact referendums can have? The support Eau Claire area voters gave to the Confluence Project in two April 1 referendums undoubtedly helped shape the Walker administration’s positive opinion of the project.) The first referendum, which will be on the Eau Claire County ballot, asks if the governor and state Legislature should be directed to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour and to abolish the state tipped minimum wage of $2.33 a hour. The second referendum, which will be on ballots in Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn counties, asks if the governor and Legislature should accept increased federal funding for the BadgerCare health insurance program. (The Walker administration’s decision not to accept the federal funds left tens of thousands of low-income Wisconsinites without coverage). In the case of both referendums, a “yes” vote tells the governor and lawmakers you support changes while a “no” vote supports the status quo.