Wisconsin voters want non-partisan redistricting process, but lawmakers aren’t listening

It is the age-old question in politics. Should those elected to political office cast votes that match the interests of their constituents, or do they somehow know better than those they represent? If we want our politicians to vote the way their voters want, then on the issue of drawing Wisconsin’s legislative boundaries, there is little question how our elected representatives in Madison should vote. Under current law, the political party in charge at the time of the census is charged with redrawing legislative boundaries, which determine in what district people vote. But it is clear the majority of Wisconsinites don’t think that is the best way. In the last redistricting, republicans in charge of the state legislature drew crooked maps that stacked the districts to make it easier for their candidates to win elections. But the numbers show people want a better system. 32 of Wisconsin’s 33 state Senate districts contain counties which passed resolutions supporting a new, non-partisan redistricting process. 91 of Wisconsin’s 99 Assembly districts contain counties that passed resolutions to do the same. In total, 72%, according to a Marquette University Law School poll support ending partisan gerrymandering. Perhaps this is because Wisconsin taxpayers have spent millions in the ongoing legal fight over redistricting. It is clear that if Wisconsin lawmakers have any desire to satisfy their constituents, they will introduce legislation to end partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin.