Today the Wisconsin State Assembly was in session to debate the legislative maps Republicans introduced, which is done every 10 years. In 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature in Wisconsin pushed through a plan which favored Republicans while packing Democratic voters into a small number of districts and weakened their voting power.
Representative Ohnstad had the following to say:
“Today was a blatant partisan push to silence the voices of voters and split up communities. This process did not involve transparency or equal representation, it involved yet another power grab so Republicans could save their jobs. The majority of Wisconsinites wanted to see, and still want to see, a nonpartisan process for redistricting. Unfortunately today, Republicans decided to ignore the majority of Wisconsinites in order to maintain the majority.”
“Wisconsinites get up every day to earn a pay check to provide for themselves and their families. Whether you’re in the trades or in health care or in social services, you have to do your job well in order to stay employed. Imagine if these workers were able to simply draw manipulated maps to maintain their position – this is exactly what Republicans did today. This is truly a shame.”
“I am thankful for Governor Evers who has promised to veto these maps when they land on his desk. Ultimately, these maps will likely be decided by the courts. It is my hope they put an end to gerrymandering in Wisconsin.”
