Ban Gerrymandering in Wisconsin

By: Micheal Stearney

I would like to believe that the citizens of this community believe in the principles of fairness and integrity in governance. Toward this end, I encourage all to endorse the movement to ban gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Gerrymandering is the process of intentionally drawing voting district boundaries to advantage one party over the other.

In recent months, bills have been introduced in the Legislature to end gerrymandering in Wisconsin. The bipartisan support of the bills is not surprising. 56 counties representing over 80% of the state population have passed referendums or resolutions to end gerrymandering. Most referendums accrued support from 70-plus % of voters.

The people of Wisconsin have spoken. We do not want elected officials from either party rigging the district maps to keep themselves in power. We want to pick our representatives, not have representatives draw maps that allow them to pick their electors. We want a fair and level playing field for our elections, and we want to restore Wisconsin’s reputation as a state of integrity and good government.

Republicans and Democrats have both played the gerrymandering game, and it’s wrong, no matter who is doing it. Contact your elected representatives at 1-800-362-9472 or at legis.wisconsin.gov and tell them to support the Fair Maps Bill (Senate Bill SB389 and Assembly Bill AB395). These bills take map-drawing away from the Legislature and give it to a non-partisan commission that uses non-partisan demographic data for redistricting. Let your legislators know that we, the people, demand nothing less.

This letter was featured in the Hudson Star Observer. Check it out here.