On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visited the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus as part of his Fair Maps Tour through the state.
Evers visited campus to raise awareness about the new district maps that he signed into law just one day earlier on Monday, Feb. 19. These maps were the result of a bipartisan effort to create district maps that the State Supreme Court viewed as fair and unbiased to either party.
The maps are meant to level the playing field for both Republicans and Democrats in terms of voter distribution. Evers said, “Yesterday I enacted fair legislative maps for the state of Wisconsin. This is the first time in over 50 years that Wisconsin will have fair legislative maps, enacted through the legislative process, rather than the courts.”
“When I ran for office in 2018, I promised that I’d never stop working to right that wrong, to fight for an independent, nonpartisan redistricting process,” said Evers, explaining that the map changes were something he has been pushing for quite some time.
Evers claimed that the newly redrawn maps are currently in effect and will be in effect for the upcoming November elections. However, this contradicts what the Wisconsin Supreme Court has said regarding the maps not being in effect just yet.
Despite the potential contradiction, Evers clarified that he has contacted the Supreme Court to gather more information on the timing.
On whether Wisconsin leans Republican or Democratic, Evers said, “The most important thing is that Wisconites will figure that out. They will decide that. That’s how elections should work.”
“The people should get to choose their elected officials, not the other way around,” Evers said.
Wisconsin has historically been a purple state, meaning that many of the elections have come down to a less than five percent difference between a Republican victory or a Democratic one.
“We are able to make sure that each party has a fair shake at winning the legislature. Under these new maps, it is more likely that each party will win the majority of the legislature when they have the majority of the votes,” said Evers.
Wisconsin has been one of the most gerrymandered states in the country for a number of years. Evers was adamant that the new maps change this for the state, he said, “This is a historic moment for the state, and for every person that calls Wisconsin home. For the past decade now, Wisconites have lived under some of the most undemocratic gerrymandered maps in the United States of America.”
As of now, the new maps will be in effect for the November election. The Racquet Press will report on any updates that become available.
