MADISON – Today, Rep. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) released the following statement after voting against the Republican gerrymandered redistricting maps:
“I was proud to vote against Robin Vos’s gerrymandered redistricting maps today. As I have since I was elected to the State Assembly, I will continue to fight for fair maps in our state. Without fair maps, the voice of the people of Wisconsin will continue to go unheard on critical issues — such as BadgerCare expansion, investing in our roads and infrastructure, investing in our students and schools, and promoting open and honest government.
“During my time on the Beloit City Council beginning in 2011, I saw first-hand the negative impact of gerrymandering on our district when communities are divided for partisan purposes. That is why I am proud to be a coauthor of AB 395, which would create a non-partisan process for redistricting that closely follows the ‘Iowa model.’ I am proud to have been a lead author of similar legislation in my first term in the Assembly and to have supported it each session. People should choose their representatives, and not the other way around.
“The gerrymandered Republican maps passed today build on the gerrymandering of the last decade, and must be stopped. They will be vetoed by Governor Evers, and I will vote to sustain that veto against any override attempts. I voted to stop gerrymandering today, but we must still implement new maps with equal population for a new decade. If the people of Wisconsin cannot get fair maps from this legislature, we must hope that the judicial branch acts with the good of our state in mind and delivers fair maps for the next decade.”
