Wisconsin Picks New Legislative Maps That Would End Years of GOP Gerrymandering
ProPublicaFeb 16
Wisconsin: Governor Signs GOP Redistricting Map
Image copyright: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed new legislative district maps drawn by the majority-Republican legislature on Monday. Following over a decade of unchallenged Republican maps, the Democrats are now likely to gain more seats in the 2024 election.
This comes after the election of the liberal state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz in August flipped the balance of the bench and allowed the court to rule the Republicans' original maps unconstitutional. The court said it would draw the lines if no maps Evers would sign could be passed.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The old Republican-drawn maps turned the state into a slice of Swiss cheese, carving out detached districts to ensure the GOP always won big. While the Republicans may still achieve a majority in the upcoming election, the state will look a lot more representative than in the past. Democrats should celebrate this historic win against gerrymandering and work hard to capitalize on the actual representative democracy the people have been asking for.
Republican narrative
Wisconsin's maps were deemed appropriate for years under the supervision of state courts and legislatures as well as federal courts. It was only after Protasiewicz — who, in an unprecedented fashion, campaigned on ordering a redraw — was elected that their fairness was questioned. The sad irony here is that Wisconsin Democrats have just used court-ordered gerrymandering in their so-called fight against gerrymandering.
Establishment-critical narrative
Both Democrats and Republicans gerrymander massively, making American democracy far from fair. Election laws should change.