24 Counties Have Voted for Fair Maps
They passed resolutions calling for nonpartisan redistricting to end gerrymandering.
Counties that have passed fair maps resolutions (in purple).
The drive to improve the way Wisconsin redraws its district maps is rapidly gaining speed.
Just in the past two weeks, three more counties — Kenosha, La Crosse, and Monroe — have passed resolutions saying they are in favor of nonpartisan redistricting, with the maps drawn not by the political party in power but by civil servants with specific criteria to ensure that the maps are not rigged in favor of any party.
That’s how it’s been done in Iowa for the past 35 years, so this nonpartisan process is called the Iowa Model.
This movement for fair maps has gained speed for three reasons.
The first is because of the Whitford case, the successful federal lawsuit against the Republican legislative leaders for the way they gerrymandered the maps in 2011 to secure a partisan advantage. A three judge panel ruled last November that this was unconstitutional, and the case is now at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Second, a Lincoln County Board member, Hans Breitenmoser, took up the issue with gusto earlier this year. He not only got a resolution passed at his county board, but he has urged other county boards to follow suit.
And third, a coalition of pro-democracy groups — Fair Maps Wisconsin — has come together to push this issue forward. The coalition consists of such groups as Citizen Action Organizing Cooperatives, Common Cause in Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Wisconsin Fair Elections Project, and Wisconsin Voices, among others.
If you would like your county to pass a resolution endorsing the Iowa Model, contact Beverly Speer at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign at speer@wisdc.org.
Matthew Rothschild is executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
More about the Gerrymandering of Legislative Districts
- Op Ed: Democrats Optimistic About New Voting Maps - Ruth Conniff - Feb 27th, 2024
- The State of Politics: Parties Seek New Candidates in New Districts - Steven Walters - Feb 26th, 2024
- Rep. Myers Issues Statement Regarding Fair Legislative Maps - State Rep. LaKeshia Myers - Feb 19th, 2024
- Statement on Legislative Maps Being Signed into Law - Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos - Feb 19th, 2024
- Pocan Reacts to Newly Signed Wisconsin Legislative Maps - U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan - Feb 19th, 2024
- Evers Signs Legislative Maps Into Law, Ending Court Fight - Rich Kremer - Feb 19th, 2024
- Senator Hesselbein Statement: After More than a Decade of Political Gerrymanders, Fair Maps are Signed into Law in Wisconsin - Dianne Hesselbein - Feb 19th, 2024
- Wisconsin Democrats on Enactment of New Legislative Maps - Democratic Party of Wisconsin - Feb 19th, 2024
- Governor Evers Signs New Legislative Maps to Replace Unconstitutional GOP Maps - A Better Wisconsin Together - Feb 19th, 2024
- Data Wonk: Should Evers Sign Redistricting Bill? - Bruce Thompson - Feb 14th, 2024
Read more about Gerrymandering of Legislative Districts here
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County refer to Constitution for rules. then have congress pass an amendment, then get 67% of sites to ratify.
The Iowa method applied to Wisconsin will lead to a pro-Republican gerrymander, due to urban packing.
If you want fair elections, you need multi-member districts. http://www.fairvote.org/
ditch districts altogether
http://thepolitic.org/ditch-the-district/
Happy jack. is there no limit to your stupidity? Never happen, against constitution.
Right, The Constitution of the United States of America prohibits Democracy. If I only had your brains, WCD.
Too late to get more brains.
Darn. I guess then you’ll have to be the one to tell the state of Maine that multi-member congressional districts are unconstitutional.
I’d just wish that Milwaukee County would take their own advice and not gerrymander their own supervisor districts.
In 1970 I was gerrymandered out of running for a seat.