FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Amanda Pustz, RepresentUs Wisconsin Organizing Manager, 608-556-0372, apustz@represent.us
Ross Sherman, RepresentUs PR Strategist, 207-749-2660, rsherman@represent.us
MADISON, Wisc. -- As the Wisconsin Supreme Court prepares to make a final ruling on the state’s new redistricting maps any day now, a group of more than 65 Wisconsin veterans, small business owners, and faith leaders are calling on decision makers to make the maps fairer.
The original congressional, state senate, and state assembly maps, passed by the Wisconsin Legislature and vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers, all received “F” grades overall from the Redistricting Report Card and have a “significant” Republican advantage. The congressional map is particularly egregious, receiving an “F” for competitiveness with just one competitive seat.
“The democratic process is how our country solves some of our biggest challenges and disagreements,” the small business leaders wrote. “Inflating the cost of entry into the voting booth through self-interested gerrymandering and undermining a truly free market of ideas in democracy serves only to cut off consumers from that market, and the shared value of legislative compromise.”
The small business owners, faith leaders, and veterans emphasized that Wisconsinites of all political stripes oppose the corrupt practice of letting partisans draw their own voting maps. According to a RepresentUs poll, 87 percent of Wisconsin voters oppose gerrymandering, including 81 percent of respondents who voted for former President Donald Trump and 93 percent of those who voted for President Joe Biden.
“Gerrymandering isn’t a red or blue issue. It’s a political-parties-in-power issue,” said RepresentUs Organizing Manager Amanda Pustz. “As I’ve gone across our state hosting events, handing out anti-gerrymandering yard signs, and talking to my neighbors, one thing is clear: the vast majority of us want fair, nonpartisan maps.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments on proposed redistricting maps on January 19. RepresentUs has been mobilizing grassroots support for fairer maps, including organizing key constituency letters, distributing lawn signs, and running a paid media campaign. Ahead of the court hearing, RepresentUs and partners in the Fair Maps Coalition held rallies in 16 cities across the state calling on the courts to do the right thing and strengthen democracy.
“As veterans, we fought to save this country from threats abroad. Now we’re standing up again to fight to defend our democracy from threats within,” concluded the veterans. “We need fair maps that reflect the will of the voters, not the will of career politicians.”
###
RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite independents, progressives and conservatives to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won more than 125 victories in cities and states across America since our founding 10 years ago. Each win is one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.