Politics
“Map-rigging,” the new term needed instead of “gerrymandering,” as Wisconsin voting districts could be on the line
Common Cause Wisconsin executive director Jay Heck joined La Crosse Talk PM on Monday to talk about “gerrymandering,” a term that does not elude to what is actually happening in Wisconsin and other states.
La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:07 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.
“Map-rigging” is a better phrase, as Heck explains how this past election in Wisconsin exploited power even more and how an upcoming state Supreme Court race becomes the most important in the country.
Bill Feehan
November 30, 2022 at 7:31 am
Hey Rick,
Take a look at a map of the Evers vs Michels race for Governor. Evers won just 14 of the 72 Wisconsin Counties. The bright blue places on the map are Democrat cities. Those areas vote 80-85% Democrat. Even though Evers won the state, it is obvious that the great majority of the state has Republican majorities. The only way to get more Dem seats would be to carve up cities like pieces of a pie. That would violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which says you can’t carve up minority voting districts. That is why Ever’s Maps were struck down by the US Supreme Court. They sent the case back to the WSC who had chosen Evers maps on a least change basis. That’s right, Justice Brian Hagedorn, the swing vote on the court, chose Evers maps. The graphic above does not accurately represent the state of Wisconsin and is misleading. By the way those Assembly Districts in NW Wisconsin didn’t change. They chose to elect Republicans over Democrats, a trend that has been happening state wide since 2016.