The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 11, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

If you follow the American Democracy Minute you know that until last year Wisconsin held the infamous title as one of the most gerrymandered states in the U.S.  That changed November 5th.

Former Governor Scott Walker accelerated gerrymandering of the Wisconsin Assembly, Senate and Congressional maps during his 2011 to 2019 tenure, engineering a 64 to 35 majority in the Wisconsin Assembly, and a 22 to 11 majority in the Senate, despite an evenly divided liberal and conservative electorate. 

In 2023, the GOP was short of a supermajority by only two Assembly seats. Vetoes by current governor Tony Evers tried to keep even worse maps at bay, but a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately allowed them.   But a Supreme Court election in 2023 shifted the ideology of the court, and the court’s reconsideration of the Assembly and Senate maps led to new, fairer maps for the 2024 general election.  

While Republicans maintain control of both houses, fair maps reduced the artificial Republican advantage in the Assembly to 54 to 45, and the Senate 18 to 15.  Veto overrides of the Governor are far less likely, forcing the legislature to compromise on more legislation.  The Congressional district map, which did NOT change but is also widely recognized as gerrymandered, gave a 6-2 advantage to Republicans.

We have links to local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – (2022) Wisconsin Republicans do not secure a supermajority

Wisconsin Examiner – (2023) Special election moves Republicans closer to Assembly supermajority
American Democracy Minute – (2023) With Court Cases and Elections Looming, the Wisconsin Assembly Scrambles to Protect its Gerrymandered Voting Districts
American Democracy Minute – Wisconsin Supreme Court Puts State Legislature’s Maps on Naughty List, Orders Legislature to Draw Constitutional Voting Districts
Wisconsin Public Radio – Republicans retain majority in Wisconsin Assembly
Wisconsin Watch – Democrats flip 14 legislative seats, affirming GOP gerrymander is dead

WBAY – Republicans retain Wisconsin Senate control but lose supermajority

Groups Taking Action:

Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, Law Forward, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Wisconsin #FairMaps #EndGerrymandering

The post Restoration of Fair Voting Districts in Wisconsin Ends GOP Near Supermajority in Assembly and Senate appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 11, 2023

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Capital Times – (2022)  Wisconsin Supreme Court adopts GOP-drawn legislative maps
Capital Times – Liberal law firm to argue gerrymandering violates Wisconsin Constitution
Wisconsin Law Journal – Lawsuit to challenge Wisconsin’s legislative maps to be filed
Univ. of Wisconsin Law School – Redistricting Redux? How the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election is reviving questions about the state’s gerrymandered maps
Washington Examiner – Liberal win in Wisconsin Supreme Court race could flip US House and state legislature
The Guardian – Wisconsin senate supermajority win gives Republicans impeachment power
Roll Call – Ripples from Wisconsin Supreme Court battle could reach the Hill

Groups Taking Action:
Law Forward, Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Represent.Us, Common Cause WI

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Experts are still sorting out the seismic impact on Wisconsin’s redistricting after the state’s April 4th Supreme Court election.  Justice-elect Janet Protasiewicz won’t be sworn in until August 1st, but already a democracy advocacy group has signaled it will sue to overturn Wisconsin’s gerrymandered maps.  But don’t celebrate just yet.

The Capital Times reports that Law Forward, a Wisconsin voting rights group, will not relitigate the 2022 case in which the Wisconsin Supreme Court endorsed the heavily gerrymandered maps.  Instead, the suit will focus on how the maps violated Wisconsin’s constitution under language that it guarantees a free and fair government.  

Despite the shift from conservative to liberal in the state’s high court, it didn’t yet change the makeup of the state legislature, which, for now, is still gerrymandered and under GOP control.  The same day Judge Protasiewicz was elected, a special election for a state senate seat resulted in a conservative being elected, giving the GOP a veto-proof supermajority in the Wisconsin Senate.  

Wisconsin’s constitution allows for impeachment of “civil officers” by the legislature, but it hasn’t done so since 1853.   According to an article in the Guardian, senate candidate Dan Knodl said during the campaign that the legislature’s impeachment power would QUOTE “certainly be tested” if he were to be elected.  

If Republicans should impeach Protasiewicz, Governor Tony Evers may not have the power to stop it. We have links to articles and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews

The post Despite Protasiewicz Win in Wisconsin, the Fight for Fair Maps Far from Over  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.