From North Shore Fair Maps. September 30, 2021 (revised October 2 & 4). We are definitely on the fair maps roller coaster ride now. The courts are aflame, the Legislature did a bad thing, draft People’s Maps are out, and maps need to go to the Legislature!
We always start with Action.
1. PMC DRAFT maps now public; comments Due October 7 — On September 30 the People’s Maps Commission published a set of DRAFT maps for public comment. Comments due by October 7. If you look at the drafts, you may notice they do not reflect Voting Rights Act compliance (protection of minorities — the topic of our October 11 meeting!). After a long search, the PMC has retained a voting rights specialist to help it with VRA compliance. None of the maps are final at this time, and as stated in the PMC criteria, VRA compliance is non-negotiable. But the published drafts are still informative, so take a look. Comment as you see fit on what you see, but do it soon! https://govstatus.egov.com/peoplesmaps/work-records.
2. From the Fair Maps Coalition — October 15 deadline. FMC will Submit your Map to the Wisconsin State Legislature. The Wisconsin Legislature has created a website accepting maps from the public at https://drawyourdistrict.
You can resubmit your map at https://drawyourdistrict.
OR, if you like, the FMC will submit your map IN YOUR NAME, following those same instructions on your behalf.
IN YOUR NAME?
CLICK HERE to give FMC permission to submit your maps in your name. Contact Carlene at carlene@fairmapswi.com or Amanda at Amanda@fairmapswi.com to volunteer to help transfer the maps.
3. Sign up now for our virtual 7PM October 11 meeting. https://bit.ly/NSFMMonthly
Titled “Race and Redistricting,” the meeting will explore the intersection of Wisconsin’s maps and the Voting Rights Act.
Sign up at https://bit.ly/NSFMMonthly. View and share the event poster with links in PDF. Share JPEG on social media.
The federal lawsuit filed by Law Forward includes a VRA claim. We will hear from plaintiffs in that case, 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. Harless is part of the team of lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the Wisconsin litigation. (She was also my lawyer when I was a Whitford plaintiff — Annabelle rocks!)
More on the topic.
4. Tell them they shall be known by their deeds.
On Tuesday September 28, the Legislature adopted a Joint Resolution meant to bake the current gerrymandered maps into any new maps the Legislature considers. Read the resolution here. Some who voted yes Tuesday say it is non-binding. It is not law, but I will not be surprised if later some argue it is state policy. Others say it merely reflects current law. That is a lie.
The vote was along party lines: Republicans for; Democrats against. Three legislators did not vote. To see how your legislators voted go to Senate Roll Call (probably reason for non-vote — Jacque is ill; Kooyenga is on active duty.) Assembly Roll Call (do not know why Neylon did not vote).
If your representatives voted against the resolution, please thank them. If they voted for the resolution, please contact them. This is what they need to hear (use/modify as you see fit):
I was disappointed to learn that you recently voted YES to a Redistricting Joint Resolution (SJR63/AJR80). I am troubled by Section 3, which says keeping current districts intact is more important than keeping communities of interests together, avoiding municipal splits, and more.
Here in Wisconsin we believe in fair play. We believe everyone’s vote should count equally. Because we share that belief, citizens across this state and across the political divide have said over and over again that partisan gerrymandering must end. We know that when maps are gerrymandered votes are counted, but not all votes count. That’s not fair play.
Courts carefully examined our current maps. They said map drafters moved millions more voters from one district to another than was necessary to equalize populations across districts. We were moved like pawns in the map makers’ game. Our districts were not kept intact. Far from it. The courts said it was done for political gain. That was not fair play.
Why now – suddenly – is keeping districts intact a priority?
The answer is obvious. It is a blatant effort to use redistricting to perpetuate the prior gerrymander; to retain an unfair partisan advantage; to cling to power; and to remain unaccountable for yet another decade. That is not fair play.
In the end, each of us will be known by our deeds. Through your deeds you can show you want to play fair, or you can show that you want to keep gerrymandering. So I ask: Will you take up the People’s Maps Commissions maps? Will you support SB 389 & AB 395, the nonpartisan redistricting bills that have been proposed? If not, why?
I look forward to your prompt response to these three questions. Thank you.
Above language and longer version available here. What’s important to say: Wisconsin believes in fair play. Gerrymandering is not playing fair. Now is the time to show they want to play fair. You want answers.
Read the Resolution / Find your legislator / Find your Assembly Rep’s vote / Find your Senator’s vote
If you get excuses from a legislator, please forward them to deborah.j.patel@gmail.com. Many work from the same play book, we want to know and counter what they say.
On for the data dump! Sorted by date (that’s how much there is)
Wednesday 9/29- Mapped Out – from WPR Reports, a weekly 6 part series, episode one now available.
Website: https://www.wpr.org/mappedout.
Episode 1: https://www.wpr.org/mappedout/redistricting-underway-wisconsin-what-it-anyway.
Tuesday 9/28 The Vote on the Joint Resolution.
- Evers: ‘Unlikely’ he would OK maps based on current ones: https://apnews.com/article/elections-wisconsin-voting-legislature-voting-rights-b6f51df69f863ef147f11789e4a46f0e
- What the resolution does: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/27/wisconsin-gop-wants-few-redistricting-changes-after-moving-millions-voters/5885010001/. And another: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/28/wisconsin-republicans-seek-limit-changes-election-maps/5890785001/.
- Remarks from the folks who introduced the fair maps bill: Senator Jeff Smith; Representative Deb Andraca. Find more remarks from those opposed on Twitter.
Monday 9/27 Successful Lobby Day: THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED!
- We may not have stopped the Joint Resolution, but we showed our strength!
- Over 200 citizens from every corner of Wisconsin volunteered, attending 113 legislative meetings. 73% of the state was represented that day. 11 local fair maps teams (including ours) and 20 organizational sponsors were represented.
- FMC statewide organizer Carlene Bechen did an incredible job organizing this all-day zoom meeting series, which involved teams from Senate Districts going into zoom meetings with their senator and assembly representatives.
- In the morning we were inspired by keynote speakers, in the afternoon we inspired each other — and perhaps some legislators– with stories, solidarity, and determination.
- Video of morning assembly: https://wiseye.org/2021/09/27/fair-maps-coalition-legislative-lobby-day/
- Press release issued the day after: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/092821fmc.pdf
Last week – The Wisconsin courts are in full swing, with two courts plowing ahead, meanwhile the Supremes in Washington have a question pending, it’s all pretty complicated!
- A WI federal district court (Western District) is moving with speed. It has allowed the two redistricting cases (Law Forward / Democracy Docket) to move forward. It also consolidated them and allowed several to join the case. Read AP coverage. It wants new maps ready by March 1. Read reporting from a Wisconsin State Journal reporter.
- On September 22 the WI Supreme Court took original jurisdiction of the case. It gave parties until October 6 to say when they believe the new maps are needed. Read AP coverage. That move did nothing to stop the federal court.
- But on September 24 the Legislature asked the United States Supreme Court to block the federal lawsuit. Wisconsin Public Radio
- Nice Op Ed getting at the court situation and more, from the Wisconsin Examiner. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/09/28/taking-a-swing-at-gerrymandering-again-republicans-give-themselves-a-black-eye/.
Glad we have the folks at Law Forward on our side!
9/13/21 – Kudos still coming in from our meeting – “Just say NO!”
- Several have told me it was our best meeting ever. (Is that because we haven’t had our October meeting yet? )
- The Legislature asked the Supreme Court to make “the least changes possible” to the existing maps. The Legislative map portal also uses this as a guiding principle. And now the Joint Resolution has passed. If you tuned in on the 13th, you certainly heard why everyone should “Just Say No!”
- ACCESS THE VIDEO HERE.
- ACCESS THE SLIDE DECK HERE.
That’s it for now! Debbie Patel