Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Highlights Special Session Efforts to Ban Partisan Gerrymandering, Ensure Fair Maps for Future Generations

Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address highlighting his efforts to ban partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin by calling a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature on April 14, 2026. As promised during his 2026 State of the State address, this week, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #285, calling a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature to pass a constitutional amendment banning partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin once and for all.

Gov. Evers has long been an advocate for nonpartisan redistricting, fair maps, and maintaining Wisconsin’s fair, safe, and secure elections. In February 2024, Gov. Evers fulfilled his longstanding campaign promise to the people of Wisconsin to fight for and secure fair legislative maps for the state of Wisconsin, undoing more than a decade of Wisconsinites living under some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America. Gov. Evers’ effort to secure fair legislative maps marked the first time in over 50 years that Wisconsin has fair legislative maps enacted through the legislative process rather than through the courts.

The new fair legislative maps enacted by Gov. Evers two years ago are responsive to the will of the people, avoid partisan bias, and increase the number of competitive legislative seats. These maps were previously submitted by the governor to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for their consideration in redistricting litigation in Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission. Gov. Evers’ maps, as submitted to the Court, were passed by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Legislature with bipartisan support and enacted by the governor as 2023 Wisconsin Act 94.

The governor has previously opposed efforts by Republican lawmakers to pass a nonpartisan redistricting plan that would have required Legislature-picked and Legislature-approved map drawers. The governor has been clear that he prefers a nonpartisan redistricting option that does not allow legislators or Legislature-controlled entities to be involved in drawing legislative districts due to the obvious conflict.

Thanks to Gov. Evers, Wisconsin now has fair legislative maps for the first time in generations; however, the state does not currently have a nonpartisan redistricting process in place that will be utilized after the next U.S. Census when reapportionment is conducted. The governor, who has announced he plans to retire at the end of 2026, will no longer be in office when the state’s next redistricting process is conducted. This means the next maps passed and enacted by a future Wisconsin State Legislature and governor could restore a partisan gerrymander that benefits either political party and to the detriment of the people of Wisconsin—an untenable possibility for Gov. Evers and precisely what his constitutional amendment proposal aims to prevent.

A transcription of the governor’s radio address is available below.

Hi there. Governor Tony Evers here.

Two years ago, I delivered on my promise to sign fair maps into law, which was a historic day for our state.

Before I signed fair maps into law, Wisconsinites spent a decade living under some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in the country.

For too long, lawmakers had little incentive to find common ground or listen to the people who elected them. Legislators were able to rely on the safety of their seats rather than the quality of their work.

Today, we’ve already seen firsthand how fair maps have improved the policymaking process through all the good things we’ve gotten done for the people of Wisconsin because it did.

But here’s the rub: new maps are redrawn every 10 years.

Because Wisconsin doesn’t have a permanent nonpartisan redistricting process in place, Wisconsinites have no guarantee that we’ll still have fair maps after the next U.S. Census, especially once I’m no longer governor.

While Wisconsinites finally have fair maps today, if the Legislature doesn’t act now, our maps could go right back to being rigged, and Wisconsinites could go right back to living under some of the most undemocratic maps in America…again.

And I said in my state of the state address, elected officials in this state have a responsibility to make sure we never go back.

There’s one simple thing we should all be able to agree on, which is that politics should stay out of redistricting from start to finish. Period.

So, I’m calling a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature on April 14th to take up a constitutional amendment to ban partisan gerrymandering once and for all in Wisconsin.

And, folks, let me be clear, there are no tricks, no gimmicks, no funny politics here. Just a clean, straight-up ban on partisan gerrymandering. I could not have made this vote any easier for the Legislature.

It’s time to ban partisan gerrymandering once and for all in Wisconsin and ensure we have fair maps for our future.

Let’s get to work and let’s get this done, folks. Thank you.

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.