State Republicans Approve New Legislative Maps

Thursday, January 25th, 2024 -- 2:00 PM

(Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to approve a legislative map plan they said was based on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' submission to the state Supreme Court, with changes to avoid placing Republican incumbents in the same district and running against each other.

According to Hope Karnopp with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the vote comes about a week before two consultants are set to submit a report analyzing several map proposals submitted as part of a redistricting case before the state Supreme Court, which declared the current legislative maps unconstitutional.

The court said it is prepared to draw maps if Evers and the Republican-led Legislature cannot reach an agreement. Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the measure: Sens. Joan Ballweg of Markesan, Julian Bradley of Franklin, Chris Kapenga of Delafield and Eric Wimberger of Green Bay.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said adopting the plan would "finally put this redistricting saga behind us." "In the governor's submission, it's clear that he considered incumbency ... to ensure disenfranchisement of voters all around the state," LeMahieu said. "Our map maintains the partisan makeup of the governor's map but preserves incumbents."

Democrats called Republicans' vote a "last-ditch, disingenuous and desperate attempt to hold onto power." Republicans passed the map proposal as an amendment to a nonpartisan redistricting bill that the Assembly passed in September.

Democrats and the public did not see the amendment before the Senate took it up on the floor. "It will not be the governor's map, because they're going to be changing it to protect their incumbents," Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said. "Are we supposed to analyze something as serious as Wisconsin's legislative districts in mere minutes in the eleventh hour?"

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