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Dear Editor;
We met with Senator Howard Marklein's chief of staff, Katie Prange on the Sept 27, 2021 on the Statewide Fair Maps Lobby Day to encourage his support of Fair Maps. Ms Prange made it very clear that Senator Marklein's position is that there is NOT a problem with gerrymandering in Wisconsin. This is despite 83% of Wisconsin voters supporting a fair and transparent process, and 73% wanting to prohibit redistricting from benefiting one party over another (read full poll at: fairmapswi.com/921poll). She sights as evidence, the fact that Governor Evers and Senator Marklein won in District 17 in the same election, and therefore evidence that District 17 is not gerrymandered. We disagree and think gerrymandering has influenced our district's representation. Furthermore, our concern is not with the gerrymandering of just one district. Statewide races in Wisconsin are often competitive; State and Assembly races are not.
The current voting district maps were drawn in secret (with many Republicans having no input), not by the legislature but by high-priced consultants using sophisticated technology. Act 43 was clearly created for partisan advantage. If the 2002 maps had been used as the basis for drawing 2011 maps, Republicans would likely have won 50 seats to 49 for Democrats. When you look at a sampling of maps generated on behalf of the Wisconsin Legislature as part of the 2011 redistricting process, it is clear the legislature chose the maps that provided the greatest partisan advantage - a 9 seat advantage. It also resulted in moving over 2.3 million people among assembly districts when only 231,241 needed to move to equalize population.
The process overall was far from fair and it makes no sense to use rigged maps as the basis for new maps.
We are simply asking that an objective nonpartisan group, like the Legislative Reference Bureau or the People's Maps Commission, draw the maps, not politicians. The process still requires the legislature to approve maps that are drawn.
Myra Enloe, Dodgeville, WI
Christine Tsubokura, MineralPoint, WI
Claudia Looze, Highland, WI