Wisconsin Redistricting Process is Moving Forward Fast This Fall

Tuesday - September 14, 2021 

Variety of Actions Citizens Can Take to Promote Fair Voting Maps

 

Summer is nearly over and school has started again all over Wisconsin. Currently, the decennial redistricting process is well under way in the state since the release of the 2020 Census data in mid-August. With a population gain of about 200,000 over the past decade, Wisconsin narrowly dodged losing one of our eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives but every congressional district and all 99 Wisconsin Assembly districts and 33 State Senate districts must be redrawn to be of equal size to reflect population shifts over the past decade.

That process is beginning in cities, towns and counties all over Wisconsin as well as in the Legislature and in federal and state courts. While it may seem to be a very complex issue, there are a lot of relatively simple tasks any citizen who cares about representative democracy can do to have an impact on the critical matter of securing fair voting maps for Wisconsin during this 2021-22 redistricting process and beyond.

 

Pick one or do them all. If you've taken action in some way, thank you! And consider additional ways to support or further ensuring fair voting maps in 2021 and beyond. Be sure to share these actions with family and friends. Our voices are being heard and we are making a difference!

First, you can familiarize yourself with the issue of redistricting and the need to reform the current redistricting process in Wisconsin and what that reform might look like. This past August 17th, CC/WI hosted a statewide 90-minute webinar on this subject with special guests State Senator Jeff Smith of Eau Claire, State Representative Deb Andraca of Whitefish Bay, redistricting legal expert Mel Barnes of the Madison-based progressive firm, Law Forward, former State Representative Penny Bernard Schaber and I in which more than 300 Wisconsinites registered. You can watch and listen to that complete webinar (or any part of it) by going here.

Second, you can also inform yourself about the various legal issues surrounding redistricting in Wisconsin in a number of ways. This recent article from the Wisconsin Examiner provides a good summary of recent developments in the courts. Also, this recent redistricting segment from a news program, Capital City Sunday (on WKOW Channel 27 in Madison) provides good information on the legal battle over redistricting. And just yesterday, there was this latest legal development captured by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. As we have noted, redistricting is moving forward fast and furiously!

Third, you can contact both your State Senator and your State Representative and demand that they support the bipartisan redistricting reform legislation introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature in June based on our neighboring state of Iowa's non-partisan redistricting process. Senate Bill 389 and Assembly Bill 395 is the "Iowa Model" legislation whose lead sponsors are State Sen. Jeff Smith and State Rep. Deb Andraca, who discussed the measures in the August 17th CC/WI webinar.

Fourth, you can participate in the statewide virtual lobby day and directly advocate to support a fair map making process and SB 389/AB395 on September 27. There are virtual training workshops ahead of the lobby day event so you can prepare for interacting with your legislators. Pre-registration required. More information from the Fair Maps Coalition site here.

Fifth, you can submit your own fair voting map to the online portal set up by the Wisconsin Legislature and specifically by long-time opponent of fair voting maps, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos because of tremendous public pressure to allow the public to have some say in how legislative and congressional districts are redrawn in 2021-22. 

Sixth, you can urge both your State Senator and State Representative to include a question about support for fair voting maps and non-partisan redistricting reform legislation in their next questionnaire that they send to their constituents. The overwhelming majority of all Wisconsin citizens -- Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike -- support non-partisan redistricting and when legislators ask their constituents this question, they often respond by becoming supporters of redistricting reform -- which is the whole idea! In 2019, State Rep. Jeff Mursau (R - Crivitz) asked his constituents this question and received these results.

And if you want even more ideas about how to promote fair voting maps this year in Wisconsin, we have them! Just contact me at jheck@commoncause.org or call our Madison office at 608-256-2686 and we can discuss it.

We can and will have fairer voting maps and a less partisan and more fair redistricting process this year if we take action to make that happen. Thank you for all that you have done in the past.

Forward.

On Wisconsin!

Jay Heck
Common Cause Wisconsin
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