Effort to stop gerrymandering begins today

It is time for Wisconsin lawmakers to decide if they are acting in the public interest, or in their own partisan interests. Today in Madison, a bill calling for a more fair process of redistricting will be formally introduced. This comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision essentially saying it is up to states, not the courts, to decide what is the proper process for creating legislative boundaries. In Wisconsin, whichever political party is in control at the time of the census gets to draw the boundaries, effectively however they want. What we have seen as a result of that process is legislative districts so gerrymandered that voters who support the other candidate may as well stay home on election day because the outcome is largely determined before the polls opened. As a result of the Supreme Court decision to green-light gerrymandering, it is likely to be even worse when the next boundaries are drawn in 2020. As we have said, a better plan is to adopt the Iowa model. In Iowa, a bipartisan committee draws the boundaries, to keep politics out of the process. Today, in Madison, the process begins for making the Iowa model the Wisconsin model. Doing so has widespread public support in Wisconsin. Now we will see if the lawmakers will side with their constituents, or continue to rig the process to benefit only themselves.