From Allen Pincus
Barneveld
To the editor:
“Should the Wisconsin legislature create a non-partisan procedure for the preparation of legislative and congressional redistricting plans and maps?” In other words, do you favor putting an end to gerrymandering? This referendum question will appear on the ballot in Iowa County on the Nov. 3 election.
Redistricting is mandated by law to occur every 10 years following the U.S. Census. The last redistricting, done behind closed doors by the party in power, left Wisconsin as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country and split Iowa County into four different legislative districts. Gerrymandering is the practice of using partisan voter data to divide a state into election districts that give one political party (the party in power) a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible. This practice results in weird shaped, incumbent-protected districts that slice up counties and municipalities and ensure that the party in power stays in control. In the 2018 Wisconsin Assembly race, although 54% of the votes cast statewide were for Democratic candidates, Republicans, by virtue of gerrymandered districts, won 63 seats and Democrats only won 36. Both political parties, at one time or another, have been guilty of abusing their power in this way.
A fairer non-partisan way of redistricting, like the well-tested system employed in Iowa, would: prohibit the use of prior election results or any other political demographic data in making maps; respect political subdivisions and keep counties and municipalities intact to the fullest extent possible; and make districts contiguous and compact. The whole process would be transparent; conducted by a non-partisan citizen’s board; and will elicit citizen input through public hearings.
Incumbent Representatives Todd Novak (Republican) and Sondy Pope (Democrat) whose districts include Iowa county, are both cosigners of Assembly Bill 303 which calls for a non-partisan redistricting process. Similarly, their opponents in the upcoming election both support non-partisan redistricting. Fifty-three County Boards, in both “red” and “blue” leaning counties, have passed resolutions supporting fair maps. Fair maps referendums have passed with wide majorities in 17 counties. A 2019 Marquette Law School poll found 73% of Wisconsinites favored banning gerrymandering, including 63% of Republicans.
Whether Republican or Democrat, fair elections is a pro-democracy issue we can all stand behind.
