Will appear before the State Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection Thursday morning.

MADISON WI – Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition members will travel from across the state to give testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 488 and Assembly Bill 415, the fast-tracked legislative redistricting proposal finally receiving a public hearing before the State Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection.

When: Thursday, October 19

Where: Wisconsin State Capitol, 2 E. Main St., Madison, Room 411 South

Time: 9:00 AM

The proposed legislative redistricting bill, driven by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, seeks to grant the State Legislature exclusive control over the drawing of voting maps. This power grab, if successful, could fundamentally alter the way our state's legislative district maps are drawn, potentially harming our communities for generations.

Tomorrow’s public hearing will be the first official legislative public hearing held in more than 13 years on a redistricting reform bill. GOP lawmakers in Madison are fast-tracking redistricting bills that would allow the State Legislature to hold all the power in deciding how our voting maps are drawn, leaving behind Wisconsin voters and pro-democracy organizations who have long been advocating for fair maps.

Debra Cronmiller of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin remarked, “This bill doesn’t have the processes in place to ensure it is fully nonpartisan. The majority of the Legislature would be able to reject the maps twice, and then create their own gerrymandered maps in accordance with their goals and party. This bill, if enacted, could result in more of the same extremely gerrymandered Legislative maps that we have now.”

The false sense of urgency by GOP lawmakers to pass redistricting legislation has left Wisconsinites out of the process. The next official redistricting cycle is in 2030. The legislature has ample time  to work with pro-democracy organizations, Wisconsin voters, and Democratic legislators from around the state to get the best bill possible.

Nick Ramos, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, asked, "To ensure a fair and equitable process, the legislature must take the time to engage with stakeholders and Wisconsinites from every part of the state. Our maps are far too important to not have community buy-in. Let’s do this thing right and create a bill that produces the fairest maps for Wisconsin.”

Anjali Bhasin with Wisconsin Conservation Voters said, “SB 488/AB 415 would continue over a decade of entrenched gerrymandering.  Instead of creating a process for representative government, SB 488/AB 415 keeps power in the hands of the legislature and those interested in consolidating power for their own gain. We know that important issues like clean air and clean water have gone unaddressed because of gerrymandering and we need a redistricting process that works for the people of Wisconsin.”

The call is for fair maps that truly reflect the diversity and voices of the people.