We don’t do this often, but this is an issue that will impact every State Assembly and State Senate election in the state in just a few months…
[Madison…] Democratic Governor Tony Evers officially endorsed the legislative maps his office drafted in secret, following their surprising approval by GOP lawmakers.
Despite some apprehension from Democrats regarding potential challenges in federal court, Evers fulfilled his earlier promise to sign his own maps if they were sent to him without alterations. Declaring them as his own, the Governor emphasized their authenticity and made it clear that they remained unaltered during a ceremony/pep rally held in his conference room.
Governor Evers’ signature effectively puts an end to the potential involvement of the state Supreme Court in drawing new maps.
Following the Supreme Court’s new liberal majority’s decision to discard the GOP-drawn used in the 2022 election, the Court suggested that they would defer to the Legislature and Evers if they were to pass a fresh map.
After much internal debate, Republicans did just that last week. Why? Well they chose the devil they knew (The Evers’ Maps) vs whatever gerrymander the new liberal State Supreme Court majority could concoct.
As Senator Van Wanggaard said:
Republicans were not stuck between a rock and hard place. It was a matter of choosing to be
Senator Van Wanggaard, Press Release, February 13, 2024
stabbed, shot, poisoned or led to the guillotine. We chose to be stabbed, so we can live to fight
another day.
Speaker Vos issued a statement after the Governor signed the new maps into law.
Today, Governor Evers signed the most Republican-leaning maps out of all the Democrat-gerrymandered maps being considered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We sent him those maps, not because they are fair, but because the people of Wisconsin deserve certainty in state government. This legislation brings to end this sham of a litigation designed to deliver judicially gerrymandered Democrat maps to the liberal special interest groups funding said litigation.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Press Release, February 19, 2024
While this brings some resolution, Evers stated his intention to seek clarification from the Court regarding the applicability of the new lines in any special election that may arise before the upcoming fall. Notably, the maps stipulate that they will first come into effect the November elections and any concurrent special or recall elections.
How the Court could change the effective dates of the maps, and ignore the plain language in the bill, is unknown. But the new liberal majority has quickly developed a track record of imposing their will without regard to precedent, legislative intent, or other traditional concepts associated with the state’s high court.
With a current state Senate vacancy and a recall effort targeting Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Republicans currently maintain a 22-10 supermajority in the Senate, with one vacancy, and a 64-35 advantage in the Assembly.
MU Professor’s comparison of new maps with the old districts – WisPolitics
Graphic of 13th Assembly District as posted at WisPolitics.com
