Wisconsin Republicans Push To Preserve Gerrymandered Maps by Delaying Redistricting
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday that would delay local redistricting of state-level counties until next year. Assembly Bill 369, which was passed by the state Assembly earlier in June and passed the state Senate this week, would preserve the current local maps in Wisconsin for another year, including through an additional election. Wisconsin’s current legislative districts are some of the most gerrymandered in the country; a federal court ruled in 2016 that the current maps “intended to burden the representational rights of Democratic voters…by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats.”
A.B. 369 now heads to Gov. Tony Evers’ (D) desk, who is unlikely to sign the legislation. The Republican-controlled Legislature, swept into power thanks to the state’s extreme gerrymandering, has repeatedly attempted to strip the Democratic governor of his executive powers. Now, they’re hoping to delay redistricting and hold on to their gerrymandered seats for one more term.