Bill signing that ended partisan gerrymandering worth celebrating
On Presidents’ Day, as Fair Maps Coalition members, activists, and community leaders cheered, Gov. Tony Evers signed new legislative maps into law that ended a 13-year partisan gerrymander.
A nonpartisan process that is centered on the people — not the parties — was and will always be the goal of the Fair Maps Coalition. The governor’s maps get us closer to that goal, and now we start our push for an independent and fair redistricting process.
A major win for democracy, Evers’ proposed maps favor neither the Republican nor the Democratic parties. The maps unite communities, will increase political competition, and restore meaning to the phrase “every vote matters.” The maps meet Wisconsin’s constitutional requirements and end the partisan gerrymander imposed in 2011 and made worse in 2022.
The Fair Maps Coalition (FMC) Lead Team is made up of a number of good government, non-profit organizations including the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Common Cause in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Farmers Union, All Voting is Local, Campus Vote and Represent Us. Additionally, thousands of volunteers make up the network of grassroots activists around the state who have passed local resolutions and referendums, held educational events, written letters to the editor and legislators, rallied, testified, and brought the term “gerrymandering” into the vernacular.
So, now what? First, before the fall elections voters will need education about what has changed in their voting districts and why it’s important. But the work will go beyond November 2024.
As we know, redistricting happens every 10 years after the census. We are looking ahead to 2030 so we can ensure fair maps for generations to come. The Fair Maps Coalition aims to bring about an independent, nonpartisan redistricting process that is not subject to political influence or partisan objectives to hold power. We can not allow Wisconsin to be gerrymandered again like it had been since 2011 and that means changing the process.
The Fair Maps Coalition won’t stop working until we know we have a long term redistricting process that doesn’t serve parties but rather the people of Wisconsin. iuscely Flores, co-organizing director of Fair Maps Coalition