New Campaign Launched for Redistricting Reform
Campaign designed to build support for nonpartisan, independent map-drawing process
Play Fair Wisconsin, a new campaign to draw attention to partisan gerrymandering, launched two videos today targeted to a statewide audience via social media. The advertisements are backed by a significant investment in digital spending. A new website was also launched and yard signs are being distributed across the state.
“The people of Wisconsin know that our politics are broken,” said Barbara Johnson, one of three volunteer leaders of the nonpartisan campaign. “Republicans, independents, and Democrats all agree, we need to stop rigging the maps, and these ads will draw even more people to our work for a stronger democracy.”
John Roach Projects of Madison created the videos, which feature pick-up sports games that are rigged for one side. In the first video, a basketball team replaces the hoop with a smaller, shorter bucket. In the other video, one team at a soccer game replaces a regulation goal with a small child-sized goal.
The videos encourage viewers to visit the website and take action to support legislation to make the process to draw legislative district maps independent. They can be viewed at www.playfairwi.com/watch/.
“A healthy democracy requires meaningful, competitive elections,” said Melissa Auchard Scholz, another of the campaign’s leaders. “We don’t have that in Wisconsin today, but we can ensure we strengthen our future by making the map-drawing process independent.”
Play Fair Wisconsin raised the money to create the videos and social media campaign from voters concerned about the effects of gerrymandering in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s legislative district maps were overturned in late 2016 by a federal trial panel for unconstitutionally depriving citizens of their rights. Citizens brought the lawsuit, Gill v Whitford, in 2015 after two consecutive elections in which Republicans were allocated considerably more legislative seats than their vote totals would have suggested was reasonable or fair. In 2012, the Democrats won a significant majority of the vote, but Republicans retained a super-majority of legislative seats.
“This is about fairness and transparency for every Wisconsinite,” said Lydie Hudson, the third leader of Play Fair Wisconsin. “We need to know these maps are drawn to reflect voters’ views, not to protect politicians. This campaign will help educate our fellow citizens and result in more activity to restore our democracy.”
The campaign is being launched by the Fair Elections Project, which organized and launched the Whitford lawsuit and is educating and organizing citizens across the state in partnership with the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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great idea that will never happen as long as one party (either party) has total control. total control corrupts, its been proven in history for thousands of years and any expectation it will change now are more remote than ever. Too bad we can’t actually be democratic and fair.
Career Politician Scott Walker and republican’s partisan gerrymandering of the state is as dosgusting and wrong as it gets folks. They have destroyed Democracy itself in Wisconsin. Democrats win 60% of the vote and get 40% of the seats in the state legislature. Republicans know they can’t win a fair fight so they cheat. However, by cheating and stealing elections, they have also completely delegitimized their own government! We cannot rely on the courts anymore in Wisconsin because many judges campaigns are financed by the same big out of state mega-rich donors that finance Career Politician Scott Walker and other republicans. There is only one solution. Overwhelm the voting booths in November 2018 and vote all these republican charlatans and devious tricksters out of office once and for all!
Dump Walker 2018!
Dump all republicans 2018!
Save Wisconsin 2018!