(The Center Square) – As expected, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the political maps that he mostly drew.
Evers on Tuesday said he scuttled the so-called 99% maps because they were too favorable to Republicans.
“These maps are more the same. Republicans passed maps to help make sure Republican-gerrymandered incumbents get to keep their seats. Folks, that’s just more gerrymandering,” Evers said. “Allowing politicians to move district lines so that their party can retain political power doesn’t help root out gerrymandering from our democracy, it further entrenches it. And that’s wrong.”
The maps the governor drew moved dozens of incumbent Republicans into new districts. Republicans moved some of those lawmakers back but largely left the governor’s maps unchanged.
Evers has denied he gerrymandered Wisconsin with his maps that would give Democrats control over the state legislature. Instead, he calls them fair maps.
“I have never been more hopeful that when Wisconsinites head to the ballot box later this year, they’ll be voting under legislative maps that finally reflect the people of the state,” Evers explained. “Wisconsin voters don’t want Republican or Democrat maps because Wisconsin isn’t a red state, or blue state, or purple state. And our map should reflect that basic fact.”
Republicans weren’t surprised by Evers’ veto.
“This just proves that the governor is counting on the $10 million purchase of our Wisconsin State Supreme Court to unconstitutionally draw completely slanted maps to give a desired outcome,” Rep Barb Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, said on social media Tuesday.
“Gov. Evers just vetoed a ‘Fair Map’ he claimed he wanted,” Wisconsin Republican Party boss Brian Schimming said in a statement. “What he really wants is obvious: to have the legislative map decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court that his party just bought and paid for. It’s as simple as that.”
