Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Republican-Passed Maps That Protect GOP Incumbents
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has vetoed state legislative maps that were hastily passed and jammed through by Republicans who nefariously altered a proposal by the governor to protect GOP incumbents.
In his veto statement, Evers alleged that the maps were “designed to undemocratically serve the politicians who draft them” in a “last-ditch effort” at preventing fair maps. Evers said he further objected to the maps because they failed “to comply with basic constitutional requirements for legislative districts.” The Assembly map passed by the Legislature features non-contiguous districts according to Evers that are “noncompliant with core constitutional and legal requirements for legislative districts.”
The Democratic governor closed his statement by lamenting that “fair maps deserving of the people in the state are within reach” and that he remains “as optimistic as ever that Wisconsinites will soon have the fair maps they deserve at long last.”
The maps were kept secret from the public and legislative Democrats before their introduction in the Senate, and in just a two-day span last week, Wisconsin Republicans pushed the hastily amended bill through both legislative chambers. No Democrats in either chamber supported the last-ditch effort, and four Senate Republicans sided with Democrats in opposing the changes.
This failed map redraw comes just over a month after the newly liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state’s legislative maps for violating the Wisconsin Constitution’s new contiguity requirements. The court ordered the Legislature to adopt remedial maps, but stated that if the Legislature failed to do so, the court is “prepared” to step in and adopt remedial plans.
In his statement, Evers added that he has submitted maps to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to consider “that are responsive to the will of the people, avoid partisan bias, and increase the number of competitive legislative seats.”