Can’t we try to keep the lawyers out of it?

Wouldn’t it be better to try to settle our differences without having to take it to court? Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans are at odds over the process of redistricting. That is nothing new. 10 years ago, when Republicans drew the maps, it led to a long court fight, all the way to the Supreme Court. Now, as required after the census, lawmakers in Madison are about to begin the process of drawing legislative boundaries again, and once again it appears an expensive court fight is in the offing. Democrats want to create a bipartisan commission to draw the maps. Republicans don’t, because they can draw the maps to their advantage, to make it more likely their candidates get elected. A bill to require nonpartisan redistricting has been introduced in Madison, but support among Republicans is slipping from past years. It is clear the two sides won’t agree, which will likely lead to a veto from Governor Evers. That means that the courts will ultimately decide how the legislative boundaries should be drawn, and that means a big bill for taxpayers. Our lawmakers should at least sit down and try to find a compromise, before we have to start writing all those checks to the lawyers.