MADISON, Wis. — Today, a state Senate committee held a public hearing on a bad faith redistricting bill from Republicans that would keep the GOP majority of the legislature in charge of drawing Wisconsin’s legislative maps.
The bill – which was introduced and turboed through the state Assembly without any input from experts or the general public – has rightly caused much concern and pushback among Wisconsinites.
“This bill is a desperate attempt from Republicans to stay in power as the Wisconsin Supreme Court has decided to hear a case seeking to undo the current partisan gerrymander and create fair maps,” said Chris Walloch, executive director of A Better Wisconsin Together.
Despite its portrayal by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and other Republicans, the bill contains loopholes that would allow the GOP-controlled legislature to throw out maps that do not give them a political advantage, and redraw the maps themselves.
“The current Republican-drawn maps, that the authors of this bill want to protect, reflect a long history of partisan map drawing that enables right-wing politicians to rig the rules for their own benefit, while the issues Wisconsin voters care about have gone unaddressed,” Walloch added.
For instance, public polling shows that 68% of Wisconsinites support safe and legal abortion access, 81% support common sense gun safety laws, and 64% support marijuana legalization – but the Republican-controlled legislature has blocked action on these popular policies at every turn, thanks to the partisan maps they rigged for themselves.
“The Republican majority in the legislature has shown time and time again that they will always do what is best for their own political best interests, not what’s best for constituents,” said Walloch. “Given that history, Wisconsinites cannot trust them to draw legislative maps that accurately represent our communities.”
Voters should pick their leaders, not the other way around. Together, we can use our collective voices to make our communities whole again – through fair maps that represent our shared vision for Wisconsin, not the partisan agenda of politicians.
Call your legislator today at 1-800-362-9472 and demand they oppose Republicans’ bad faith redistricting bill.
