MADISON, Wis. – Earlier today, a coalition of groups fighting for fair electoral representation filed a lawsuit asking the Wisconsin State Supreme Court to examine the legality of the current legislative maps. Current maps heavily favor legislative Republicans as they hold a super-majority in the Senate and are two seats shy of one in the Assembly. Even as a swing state, these legislative majorities do not reflect the will of voters, as a majority of recent statewide races have been won by Democrats, with Governor Evers winning his last election by over 90,000 votes . In response, Assistant Democratic Leader Representative Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement:
“I am filled with optimism having seen important first steps taken to restore fairness and accountability to our legislative process. For too long, legislative Republicans have been able to choose their voters in order to maintain a gerrymandered grip on power. For too long, they have been unaccountable to the people of Wisconsin, and for too long they have minimized the voices of voters and communities of color.
“Should justice prevail in this case, it excites me to think about what we can achieve for the people of our state. An accountable legislature is one that will address and fulfill the needs and wants of Wisconsinites. For over a decade, the vast majority of people in Wisconsin have overwhelmingly supported commonsense policies such as legal cannabis, Medicaid expansion, and investing more into housing, transportation, and our public schools. My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to, and ready to work on implementing working-class policies if given a fair opportunity to truly represent the hard-working people of our state.”
