The Assembly and Senate left open a special session Dem Gov. Tony Evers called to ban partisan gerrymandering, saying they wanted to continue talks and gather public input.

Evers declared after the session opened yesterday, “There’s nothing to negotiate because there’s no room for compromise when it comes to making sure Wisconsinites’ voices matter and their votes count.”

Evers has called 14 special sessions over the past seven years only to see GOP leaders gavel them out immediately six times, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. Those six included calls from Evers to tackle gun violence, abortion restrictions and education funding, among other things. But yesterday, both houses recessed the special session until tomorrow.

Evers’ special session call includes a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar partisan gerrymandering and state, “Districts shall not provide a disproportionate advantage or disadvantage to any political party.”

In a joint statement, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth, called Evers’ proposal a “first step,” saying they hoped Evers would meet with them to “build a more comprehensive, workable solution.”

“We’re committed to a transparent and balanced solution that reflects the interest of all Wisconsinites,” they said.

Republicans drew maps in 2011 that served as the foundation for lines the state Supreme Court approved in 2022 after Evers and GOP lawmakers couldn’t agree on revisions. Dems then challenged those lines after liberals took control of the court in 2023, and the new majority found the map unconstitutional because it included municipal islands.

The GOP-controlled Legislature then approved Evers-drawn maps ahead of the 2024 elections, and Dems picked up 14 seats between the two chambers that fall but still fell short of majorities. Dems are hoping to pick up at least one house this November.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, noted in a statement that redistricting is a “core legislative power” and any changes would have to be made “intentionally” using normal legislative procedure.

“Leaving the special session open allows the Legislature to gain public input in order to make an informed decision on how to proceed,” LeMahieu said.

The next round of map-drawing won’t occur until after the 2030 census. Passing a constitutional amendment would require lawmakers signing off in back-to-back sessions before it could be sent to voters for a referendum.

If an amendment isn’t approved before year’s end, the earliest the Legislature could pass it a second time would be in early 2029.

Evers said in his statement both Republican and Dem lawmakers had expressed reservations about his call to ban partisan gerrymandering.

Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, told reporters Dems needed to see the language of Evers’ proposal before committing to it. He added there’s a two-part process that includes banning gerrymandering as well as creating a process to draw maps.

“This doesn’t mean we don’t need to come back and work on a process to draw fair maps,” he said.

See a Friday REPORT story on the conversation around Evers’ special session call.