Who. What. Where. When. And Why.
Special note from fall 2022: When North Shore Fair Maps was founded, we never anticipated taking a partisan position on an election. But today the choice is clear: No matter one’s political persuasion, the only way to protect our freedoms and defend representative democracy right now is to vote for Democrats. We invite everyone, no matter what they look like, where they live, or what political party they are in, to join us in the fight for freedom and democracy.
Next meeting:
7PM CT Monday November 13 (virtual)
RSVP at https://bit.ly/NSFMMonthly
Past Meetings
“Math, Science, and Maps” with Sam Hirsch and Rob Yablon. Monday October 9, 2023. View Slide Deck / Watch Video.
Rob Yablon kicked off our meeting, describing the efforts to force new Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz to recusal, including impeachment threats. Then Iuscely Flores summarized the Fair Maps Coalition “Telling,” and thanked those who were able to attend, and Rep Deb Andraca did a quick legislative update. Then Sam Hirsch walked us through the SCOWIS orders that came down on Friday, plus his thoughts on various issues and what might happen next.
It’s “Back to Voting Maps” time! with Law Forward’s Dan Lenz and TR Edwards. Monday September 11, 2023. View Slide Deck / Watch Video.
Law Forward’s legal team discussed the redistricting cases pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We also discussed the impeachment mess. And spent time celebrating what’s going well in America.
“Constitution in Jeopardy” with Russ Feingold. 7PM Monday August 14, 2023 (virtual). View Slide Deck / Watch Video.
“Saving Democracy” with David Pepper. 7PM Monday July 13, 2023 (virtual). View Slide Deck / Watch Video.
Writer, lawyer, an former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper joined us to discuss America’s laboratories of autocracy (“it’s the statehouse, stupid!”) and more importantly, his user’s manual for saving democracy. Find Pepper’s books (including great political thrillers) HERE.
“White Christian Nationalism” with Rabbi Margolis. 7PM Monday June 12, 2023 (virtual). View Slide Deck / Watch Video.
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis explained white Christian nationalism — its origins and impact — during this in depth program. We also discussed the Trump Indictment, and a critical political race coming up in Wisconsin in July.
7PM CT Monday May 8, 2023 (virtual). “Money Money Money.” View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
WI Rep Deb Andraca provided a state legislative update, we introduced the new leadership at the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, then Matt Rothschild, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign explained how money is destroying politics … and our republic … and what we can do about it.
7PM CT Monday April 10 2023 (virtual): “The Court(s) and More.” View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
We explored the results of Wisconsin’s Spring 2023 elections, and what they mean for Wisconsin — and the rest of the nation. Featuring John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation, and Robert Yablon, Associate Professor UW-Madison Law School and co-director of the State Democracy Research Initiative.
7 PM CT Monday March 13 2023 (virtual): “We’re Almost There (but it’s not over ’til it’s over).” View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
As the April election approached, we were revved up and inspired to do all we could do to insure the good guys would win! With Ben Wikler and Doug Poland.
7PM CT Monday February 13 2023 (virtual): “All Hands on Deck!” View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
As we prepared for what the New York Times called “the most important election of the year” — Wisconsin’s Spring Election 2023 — friends dropped in to inspire and motivate us. It was all hands on deck! Those friends included Dan Lenze (Law Forward), Matt Rothschild (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign), Nora Brathol (Arkapana Consulting), and North Shore Fair Maps co-chair Cheryl Maranto.
7PM CT Monday January 9 2023 (virtual): “Can Final Five/ Ranked Choice Voting Help Save Democracy?” View Slide Deck. Watch video.
Sara Eskrich, Executive Director of Democracy Found, unpacked final five and ranked choice voting.
7PM CT Monday December 12, 2022 (virtual): “The State of Democracy in the State of Wisconsin.” View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
An update from Law Forward, featuring founder and board president Jeff Mandell.
7PM CT Monday November 14, 2022 (virtual): “So tell us … What Happened?” View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
Less than a week after the Nov 8 Midterms, UW-Madison political scientist Barry Burden joined us to discuss who won, who lost, and why it matters. Burden is the founding director of UW-Madison’s Elections Research Center and the Lyons Family Chair in Electoral Politics.
7PM CT Monday October 10, 2022 (virtual). View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
How do we break through all the noise and educate and motivate voters? How do we get the “I’m Staying Home” voter out to the polls this election? Building on prior meetings, and featuring an engaging video presentation by Anat Shenker-Osorio (ASO Communications), with additional resources from All In Wisconsin, we unpacked winning 2022 midterm messages. In 2022 we must “Protect Our Freedoms.” Learn messaging that engages the base and persuades the undecided. It’s called “mobisuasion.”
7PM CT Monday September 12, 2022 (virtual). View Slide Deck. Watch Video.
7:00PM CT July 13, 2022.
7:00-8:15 CT June 13, 2022
7:00-8:15 CT May 9, 2022
7:00-8:15 CT April 11, 2022:
Voting maps – and messages – matter. Communications expert Rebecca Lynch from All In Wisconsin showed us how to craft strategic messages that engage believers and persuade folks sitting on the fence. Watch video HERE. View slide deck HERE.
7:00-8:15 CT March 14, 2022:
At our March meeting, Mel Barnes brought us up to speed on the redistricting litigation. Then Shauntay Nelson from All Voting is Local briefed us on voting rights in Wisconsin, including prison gerrymandering, the Elections Commission, voter restrictions, and more. Watch video HERE. View slide deck HERE.
7:00-8:15 CT February 14, 2022:
Our evening featured “What’s Next?” conversations with Carlene Bechen, statewide organizer for the Fair Maps Coalition, Matthew Rothschild, head of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and author of Twelve Ways to Save Democracy In Wisconsin, and Mel Barnes, staff counsel at Law Forward.
Access Video here. Access slide deck here.
7:00-8:15 PM Monday January 10:
At this meeting we put the spotlight on Johnson v Wisconsin Elections Commission, Wisconsin’s redistricting litigation … and we brought back an old friend.
On January 4, a slew of documents were filed in the Johnson case. Our discussion featured:
- North Shore Fair Maps co-lead Cheryl Maranto, one of 36 “Concerned Voters of Wisconsin” who filed a Friend of the Court (amicus curiae) brief, and amici counsel Joseph Goode (Laffey, Leitner & Goode);
- Professor Robert Yablon, UW-Madison Law & co-director of the Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative, who told us about the “Legal Scholars” amicus curiae brief; and
- Daniel Hessel, clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Election Law Clinic, who discussed an earlier amicus brief filed by Whitford plaintiffs, and delved into the pleadings generally.
We’ll also brought back our friend and prior guest
- Walter Olson, Republican co-chair of the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission, who told us how things are going in Maryland.
No matter who does it, partisan gerrymandering is wrong. That’s why we shine the light on partisan gerrymandering.
Read the January 11 blog about the meeting: https://northshorefairmaps.com/take-action-january-11-2022/.
7:00-8:15 PM Monday December 13 virtual. The Maps Go to Court: What just happened & what happens next – with Professor Robert Yablon.
Access Slide Deck / Watch Video
On November 30 the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an Order calling for a “least changes” approach to Wisconsin redistricting. What exactly does that mean and what can we do about it? We found out from special guest is Associate Professor Robert Yablon (UW-Madison Law School). Yablon is an expert on the courts and redistricting. He is the co-director of the Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative, which “aims to shine a spotlight on the states, which traditionally receive less attention than the federal government in legal scholarship and education, and to serve as a resource for academics, policymakers, and advocates across the country.”
Yablon received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his master’s degree from the University of Oxford, and his J.D. from Yale. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, and worked in private practice before joining UW-Madison Law School. He has been the principal author of dozens of appellate and trial-level briefs, and has argued in a number of state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
7:00-8:15 PM Monday November 8 virtual: We Are Part of Something Bigger.
Access Slide Deck / Watch Video
This North Shore Fair Maps meeting explored the national fair maps movement and the current efforts to sabotage elections in Wisconsin and other states. From the WI Legislature’s election investigation debacle and their effort to get another decade of rigged maps, to anti-democratic election efforts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas, we are part of something going on from sea to shining sea! With Jeff Mandell, founder of Law Forward, and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ulmer of States United Democracy Center.
Mandell is a voting rights lawyer and founder of Law Forward. He brought us up to date on attacks on democracy in Wisconsin. Ulmer is the Communications Director of States United Democracy Center. Ulmer provided an overview of SUDC’s work—and the larger climate—around the country, covering redistricting and democracy issues more broadly.
Law Forward (Madison WI) exists to preserve fundamental democratic principles, revive Wisconsin’s traditional commitment to clean and open government, and promote a progressive vision through impact litigation, administrative process, and public education. https://lawforward.org/.
The States United Democracy Center (Washington DC) was founded in 2020 by three veteran public servants—Joanna Lydgate, Norm Eisen, and Christine Todd Whitman. It is a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/.
Click image to access poster
7PM CT Monday October 11 — “Race & Redistricting: Wisconsin’s Maps and the Voting Rights Act”
Access Slide Deck (with links)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was meant to insure that a person’s vote would not be restricted because of race. Many of its provisions have been gutted by the US Supreme Court. But Section 2 still affects redistricting. We explored the VRA. After an activities update, we heard the history that led to the VRA, and how Section 2 is affecting maps now being drawn. Wisconsin’s pending federal redistricting lawsuit BLOC v Spindell includes a VRA claim. We heard from plaintiffs in that lawsuit, including ANGELA LANG, the Executive Director of BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing for Communities), and retired educator Helen Harris, and these national experts:
- ATIBA R. ELLIS. Ellis joined the faculty of Marquette University Law School in 2018, after spending a year as its Boden Visiting Professor. Ellis’ research focuses on voting rights law. He is a frequent lecturer, and has been featured on NPR, PBS, and closer to home, at Marquette’s “On the Issues” with Mike Gousha.
- ANNABELLE HARLESS. Harless is the Campaign Legal Center’s Redistricting Senior Counsel. The CLC is a national nonprofit that advances democracy through litigation and policy advocacy. The Campaign Legal Center and Law Forward represent the plaintiff’s in BLOC v Spindell.
7 PM CT Monday, September 13: “JUST SAY NO! (to using the existing maps as a starting point for new ones.)” A special statewide meeting co-hosted by NSFM, the Fair Maps Coalition, and more.
We had a great crowd at this statewide fair maps meeting, and it was educational and inspiring. The banter among the “three guys in the zoom room” — Jordan Ellenberg, Sachin Chheda, and Doug Poland — made it fun. Even the chat box was lively!
If you missed it, you can ACCESS THE VIDEO HERE.
You can ACCESS THE SLIDE DECK HERE.
Featured panelists were:
- UW-Madison’s Jordan Ellenberg, who the Daily Beast calls “America’s favorite math professor” and whose new national bestseller “Shape” contains a “tour de force chapter in defense of democracy” with Wisconsin as its star;
- Law Forward / Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Doug Poland, who proved at trial that the existing maps are VERY VERY BAD maps; and
- Director and Co-Founder of the Fair Elections Project Sachin Chheda, who will lift us up and remind us that WE HAVE POWER, and show us HOW TO USE IT.
August 9. “Can You Hear Us Now?”
We were proud to host a special, virtual screening of Can You Hear Us Now?, a powerful film that shows the personal and political impact in Wisconsin of anti-democratic policies and one of the most gerrymandered state legislative maps in the country. The film is particularly relevant for us in 2021 when redistricting, at federal and state levels, looms large in Wisconsin.
We held a post-screening conversation and talked about gerrymandering, representation, and how the time is right for people to “hear us now!” Speakers included filmmakers Jim Cricchi and Susan Peters; film subject Rebecca Clarke; Carlene Bechen, Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition Statewide Organizer; Representative Deb Andraca (WI 23rd Assembly District); with updates from Law Forward attorney Doug Poland and Benjamin Rangel, People’s Maps Commissioner for WI’s 4th Congressional District.
See Slide Deck. Watch Video of Meeting.
July 12. “A Real Live Picnic!” The rain cleared and we had good food and conversation.
June 14. “Lines, Laws, & Information (Disinformation).” Watch the video here. See slide deck here. What are you being told about our current voting maps? About constitutional mapping criteria? About Fair Maps legislation introduced in Madison? Are you getting information or disinformation? Our June 14 meeting featured lead Whitford trial attorney Doug Poland, who helped us separate fact v fiction, redistricting-wise. Deb Andraca, a North Shore Assembly Rep and one of the sponsors of the Fair Maps bill introduced in Madison, helped us understand the legislation and why we need to push for its passage. Fair Maps Coalition statewide organizer Carlene Bechen helped us explore our communities of interest, why we want their lines respected in the next round of maps, and what we can do to get as many maps drawn as possible by July, and why that’s important.
May 10. “Across the Divide.” Watch the video here. See the slide deck here. We learned that partisan gerrymandering affects us all, no matter our political party. We heard testimonials from Beth Bauer, Lena Eng, and David Faust, Wisconsinites who told us why they were working across the political divide to #EndGerrymandering. Milwaukee school teacher Benjamin Rangel, who represents the 4th CD on the Wisconsin People’s Maps Commission, provided an update on the Commission’s work, including the charge given its citizen members through Governor Tony Evers’ Executive Order. Rangel explained the PMC’s criteria for the maps it is creating. NSFM map team lead Cheryl Maranto encouraged us to be part of the new maps’ DNA by signing up for Map Play.
Our final and very special guest was Walter Olson, Cato Institute Senior Fellow and the Republican Co-Chair of the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission. Wisconsin was gerrymandered by Republicans. Maryland was gerrymandered by Democrats. No matter who does it, it’s wrong. In both states the vast majority of citizens want to #EndGerrymandering. Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers is determined to have fair maps. So is Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan. And just like folks in Wisconsin, the good people of Maryland have been working hard for Redistricting Reform for years.
Working together we can #EndGerrymandering. We are ready in Wisconsin. Across the state, counties and municipalities have told the Legislature they want nonpartisan maps. Wherever a referendum could get on the ballot, it passed with overwhelming support. (In January 2020, a valiant effort to get a referendum on the ballot failed in Ozaukee County, just north of Milwaukee County’s North Shore community, and home to some of our NSFM members.) The Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition has organized citizens in every corner of the state (including our corner :-). New legislation calling for nonpartisan maps is on the way. If the Legislature draws unfair maps, Governor Evers can veto those maps. The People’s Maps are being drawn. The People’s Maps will be available to the Wisconsin Legislature. They may also be used to compare maps drawn by a nonpartisan commission to the maps being drawn by the Legislature. And if/when this ends up in the courts, Law Forward is ready to defend our right to fair maps.
Sunday May 2, 2021. “Mopping Up Wisconsin’s Map Mess!” Virtual meeting hosted by Grassroots North Shore. Co-sponsored by the Milwaukee League of Women Voters and the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition. Event Moderator: Debbie Patel, North Shore Fair Maps. Featured Speakers: Carlene Bechen, Fair Maps Coalition; Mel Barnes, Law Forward; and Deb Andraca, Assembly District 23 Representative. Watch video here.