Democratic Gov. Tony Evers passed a new plan Monday to redraw Wisconsin’s legislative districts ahead of the upcoming election, changing the political landscape of the state for the next decade.
This decision follows the Republican-controlled Legislature’s vote to pass his proposal last Tuesday.
“Today is a beautiful day in Wisconsin,” Evers said. “I made a promise to the people of Wisconsin, I would always try to do the right thing, and keeping that promise to me matters most, even if members of my own party disagree with me,” he said.
In December, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 4-3 liberal majority ruled the state's legislative maps were unconstitutional because districts are not contiguous, meaning all parts of a voting district were not physically in contact.
In January, state lawmakers, petitioners and Evers submitted their new legislative maps to the court. The maps would have reduced Republican advantage in Wisconsin.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said in a statement Monday the new maps are “the most” Republican-leaning option out of what was submitted.
Vos said he believes Republicans can still win competitively because they “have the better policy.”
“We are happy that the Governor’s signature brings to an end decades of liberal special interest litigation over maps in Wisconsin,” he said.
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, told WISN 12 News Sunday that Republicans do not have ulterior motives to sue the decision and keep it in the courts.
“We can sue regardless of anything, but I don’t know how you sue when there’s not a decision,” LeMahieu said.
Currently, Republicans hold a 64-35 majority in the Assembly and a 22-11 supermajority in the Senate.
Under the maps submitted by Evers, Democrats could secure control of the Senate and Assembly if they perform similarly to how Evers did in his 2022 re-election.
If Democrats get margins similar to the party’s loss against U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, Republicans would control the Assembly 51-48 and the Senate 17-16, according to the Cap Times.
All members of the Assembly and state senators in even-numbered districts will run in redrawn districts in 2024. State senators in odd-numbered districts will remain in office until their current term ends in 2026.
Heather Williams, President of Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the new maps reaffirm Wisconsin’s status as an important target for the upcoming election.
“The time for fair representation in Wisconsin is long overdue, and we are building winning campaigns and sustainable infrastructure to build power this cycle and ultimately take back both majorities,” he said in a statement.
Evers vetoed a previous map proposal submitted by the Legislature in January because it aimed to keep incumbent legislators in their current districts.
Every 10 years, Wisconsin redraws its legislative and congressional district maps using data from the decennial census, according to the People’s Map Commission. A nonpartisan nine-member panel from the People’s Map Commission uses the 2020 U.S. Census data and public hearing testimony before submitting a proposal to Evers and the Legislature to approve.
The 2011 legislative maps were drawn and cemented by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Last year, Evers could not reach an agreement for new maps with the Legislature, ultimately leaving the then-conservative leaning court to pass the Republican’s plan based on the 2011 maps.
Editor's note: this article was updated at 11:15 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.
Gov. Tony Evers shakes hands with Fair Maps Coalition members before announcing new maps on Feb. 19, 2024.
Gov. Tony Evers announces new legislative maps on Feb. 19, 2024.
Ava Menkes is the state news editor at The Daily Cardinal. She has covered multiple stories about Wisconsin politics and written in-depth about nurses unions and youth voter turnout. Follow her on Twitter at @AvaMenkes.
