Redistricting and Fair Voting Maps are Front and Center Right Now! Find out Why and More This Tuesday!

Monday - August 16, 2021

Still time to register for the Statewide Webinar on Redistricting & Ending Gerrymandering in Wisconsin

This past Thursday's release of U.S. Census nationwide data allows Wisconsin to begin the process of redistricting and drawing new voting district maps that will shape our elections, our public policy and our very lives for the next ten years.

While this process in Wisconsin has historically been conducted behind closed doors with little to no public input as in 2011, this year is our year to flip the script and ensure that the voices of everyone in our communities, particularly those of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander and other communities of color are very much included and are a central component of the redistricting equation.

When redistricting is fair, transparent, and includes everyone, our voting maps are more likely to be truly representative and lead to much more secure, free, fair, and responsive elections for the next decade. And to better public policy for all of the people. That is why we are advocating for a process that prioritizes opportunities for meaningful public input, public access to the redistricting data used by mapmakers in Wisconsin, and a mapmaking process conducted openly rather than behind closed doors.

Fair voting maps mean the politicians must work to earn every vote in every corner of their district and that we the people, get to choose our elected representatives, not the other way around.

Common Cause Wisconsin (CC/WI) is hosting a webinar this Tuesday, August 17th, beginning promptly at 6:00 PM Central Time to discuss how we can end partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin, the reforms needed to ensure a fair and transparent process and what this year's redistricting process is shaping up to look like.

We hope you can join us! The event is free and open to the public. Please feel free to share the link so others can learn and be part of what we hope will be an interesting and informative discussion.

A panel of democracy reform leaders and elected officials, including State Senator Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) and State Representative Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay), will discuss the introduction of redistricting reform measures this session that put people before politicians and how to end partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin (Senate Bill 389 / Assembly Bill 395).

Additionally, Law Forward attorney Mel Barnes will present her legal perspective on the current developments in the battle for nonpartisan, transparent voting maps for Wisconsin and what the new Census data will mean. Current CC/WI Board Member and former State Representative Penny Bernard Schaber of Appleton will discuss the progress and challenges of local and grassroots efforts in Wisconsin to make fair voting maps and redistricting reform a reality. I will moderate the discussion and CC/WI Voting & Elections Consultant Erin Grunze will oversee and conduct the webinar.

 

Here are the details:
What: Redistricting Reform Webinar Hosted by Common Cause Wisconsin
When: Tuesday, August 17 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Who: Expert panelists include:

 

• Wisconsin State Senator Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire)
• Wisconsin State Representative Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay)
• CC/WI Board Member & former Wisconsin State Representative Penny Bernard Schaber of Appleton
• Mel Barnes, Attorney, Law Forward
• Jay Heck, Executive Director of CC/WI (since 1996!)
• And You, the Voters of Wisconsin!

Where: Zoom webinar. Click here to register.

There is so much happening right now in this decade long fight to achieve fair voting maps: the release of the 2020 Census data, the real start of the 2021 redistricting process, the introduction and advancement of redistricting reform legislation and more. This is a unique opportunity for you to learn about and get a grasp of all that is at stake for the future of elections and public policy in Wisconsin. So, please join us.

We very much look forward to having you be with us this Tuesday evening! See you then.

All best to you.

Jay Heck
CC/WI Executive Director

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Contact: 

Jay Heck

608/256-2686 (office)
608/512-9363 (cell)

Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
www.commoncausewisconsin.org