(The Center Square) – Fair legislative map advocates in Wisconsin continue to oppose Republican plans to draw the state’s electoral maps.
The Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition held a hearing Monday morning at the Wisconsin Capitol and dozens of people spoke against the plan to shift toward an Iowa-style redistricting process.
Karen Alvarez said she want to restore Integrity to Wisconsin’s electoral process.
“A lot of things concern me today about our political process and the times we find ourselves in. But at the heart of that, I think, it is representative democracy and how I see that eroded with bills such as Assembly Bill 415,” Alvarez said. “As I’m raising a child, I want him to believe in the ideals of democracy that I used to believe in and still do believe in.”
Other opposition centered around issues.
“I would encourage everybody here who cares about clean water or women’s reproductive rights or fair gun rules to write letters to the editor. I think that might be one of our more powerful voices at this point and something we can all do to oppose AB 415 and explain why,” Lisa Connely told the commission.
The hearing was a response to a plan from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to use a commission to draw Wisconsin’s political maps. He says it would be like the commission Gov. Tony Evers and fair map advocates once supported and would be based on the way Iowa uses a nonpartisan commission to draw its maps.
The hearing also came just days after the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to fast track a challenge to Wisconsin’s current political maps. A handful of progressive groups want the court to redraw Wisconsin’s current political maps before the next election.
The Fair Maps Coalition, along with most Democratic lawmakers, say Wisconsin’s current political maps are gerrymandered to favor Republicans. They point to the success Democrats have in statewide elections versus the success that Republicans have in legislative and Congressional elections in the state as proof.
