Two days ago (10/30/2023), Governor Evers (D) of Wisconsin put out a statement asking the Wisconsin State Supreme Court to “declare Wisconsin’s current legislative maps unconstitutional.”*
The legislative maps are made up of districts which we use to elect members of our State Legislature, who meet at the Capitol in Madison. Our State Legislature is made up of a Senate and Assembly. There are 33 Senate Districts, and 99 Assembly Districts.
Many people, mainly on the left side of the aisle, have claimed that the legislative maps of Wisconsin are heavily gerrymandered¹ and biased in favor of the Republican Party.
These claims are based on how Wisconsin is a very split, nearly 50/50, swing state. Yet our State Legislature has been dominated by the Republican Party for around a decade now.
The State Legislature makes their own district maps, and many believe that it should be an unbiased third-party that does. Many believe that would insure impartiality in the State Legislative maps.
Take a look at the difference between votes casted, and the districts in the 2012 State Assembly elections²:
We’ll have to see how this request by the Governor goes. After all, the WI Supreme Court does have a liberal majority (4-3). That being said, many Republican legislators want Justice Janet Protasiewicz (Liberal) out, even before she’s ruled on a single case.
Footnote: Our Twitter/X: @WiscAdvance Article wrote by Alex (@enbyalex9 on Twitter/X), on November 1, 2023. *Source of Governor Evers Quote: Post from @GovEvers on Twitter/X, https://tinyurl.com/5579sxus ¹The Definition of Gerrymandering, according to Oxford Languages: manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class. ²Source of the image of the 2012 State Assembly Election Results: WisconsinWatch, https://tinyurl.com/2s9c3dfr Copyright The Wisconsin Advance
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