ONLINE: Wisconsin's Path Forward: Election and Redistricting

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WPR/J. Gill

Joy Cardin, longtime Wisconsin Public Radio host.

In Wisconsin’s last round of redistricting, in 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature, and its lawyers, drew legislative maps in secret. Since then, Republicans have maintained control of both the Assembly and Senate, even as Democrats won all statewide elected offices 2018. And, now, the state has voted for Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump as president. The Legislature will begin working on new maps next year, and nonpartisan groups are advocating for fairer maps that are free of partisan bias. The League of Women Voters of Dane County is hosting a virtual panel discussion on the steps needed to achieve that goal, moderated by former Wisconsin Public Radio host Joy Cardin (pictured); register here.

press release: On Thursday, November 12, 2020, the League of Women Voters of Dane County (LWVDC) will present Wisconsin’s Path Forward: Election and Redistricting, a Virtual Public Issues Forum. The event will showcase steps that must be taken to secure new voting district maps that are free of partisan bias. The General Election results will also be reviewed in respect to moving toward Fair Maps for redistricting.

Wisconsin’s voting district maps will be redrawn in 2021. The process, called redistricting, happens in every state every ten years following the release of census data. These data, when coupled with new technologically advanced mapping software, create opportunities for supercharged partisan players to manipulate district boundaries in their favor. This practice, called gerrymandering, can hand one party a path to retain power while overwhelming the will of voters. It is important to note that both Republicans and Democrats have engaged in these practices historically and the temptation to over manipulate is enabled by new precision technologies.

Our Speakers:

Dr. Charles Franklin, Professor of Law and Public Policy and Director of the Marquette Law School Poll

Debra Cronmiller, Executive Director of LWV Wisconsin

Joan Schwarz, Member of Dane County’s Redistricting Commission, Legislative Committee Member for LWVWI with portfolios in Social Policy and Government, Member of the LWVDC Program Committee

Moderator:

Joy Cardin, Retired Public Radio talk show host, LWVWI Board Member, LWVDC Program Committee Member.

Register online here. You will be sent the Zoom code prior to the event.