New Fairer Maps

On October 28 of last year, more than 200 people testified against the maps the Legislature was proposing.  Only legislators favored the maps their party leaders wanted to pass.  They said the maps had been drawn to protect incumbents–as if holding office should be a lifelong, unchallenged position.

When the governor vetoed those maps, the state Supreme Court said they would use a “least change” criterion.  Maps that moved the fewest people from district to district would be favored.

The Wisconsin Constitution actually states that district maps should be drawn to be contiguous, compact, and to respect, as much as possible, political boundaries such as cities and counties.  Nothing about protecting incumbents or least change.

Now the state Supreme Court has spoken, and while I’m glad they chose the slightly-more-fair maps submitted by Governor Evers in response to the least-change criterion, those maps are still based on gerrymandered maps drawn in secret ten years ago in the last redistricting round. 

We need maps that are fair for all parties.  We need a Supreme Court that places fairness above partisanship.  We’ve made a small step in the right direction for our voices to be heard and our communities to get the attention they need. Together, we can continue forging this path to fair maps for WI.