No More Unconstitutional “Swiss Cheese” Maps for Wisconsinites
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Wisconsinites and our democracy triumphed when the state’s legislative maps were declared unlawful by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, capping more than ten years of noncontiguous, gerrymandered mapping.
The decision follows a lawsuit brought by the Campaign Legal Centre (CLC), in collaboration with Law Forward, the Harvard Law School Election Law Clinic, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, and Arnold & Porter, on behalf of nineteen Wisconsin voters who feel that their voices have been muffled by the maps.
Despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of Wisconsinites reside in noncontiguous senate or assembly districts, the state constitution’s requirement that districts be contiguous governs redistricting. Some people reside in isolated areas that are miles apart from the rest of their region.
Their interests won’t be reflected, and their voices won’t be heard, if voting districts are created in a way that “cracks” communities and displaces voters—a technique used to divide voters’ power to vote. The Wisconsin Legislature’s inability to create contiguous districts highlights the detrimental effect of politicians selecting voters rather than the other way around.
“The maps should reflect how voters voted when they go to vote,” Campaign Legal Centre senior director of redistricting Mark Gaber stated during oral argument. For more than ten years, Wisconsin’s state legislative maps have been among the most gerrymandered in the nation. The court’s ruling to invalidate these maps represents a long-overdue triumph for Wisconsin voters’ right to vote.
Now is the time for the legislature to approve fresh, constitutional maps.
The court will also proceed in the meantime and take suggestions from the parties in order to have maps ready for the 2024 election. Drs. Bernard Grofman and Jonathan Cervas were assigned by the court to assess the parties’ plans and provide maps as needed. In addition, the court mandated that any map it approves must adhere to all legal standards, which prohibit favoring any one political party over another.
This ruling guarantees that Wisconsin voters will have the chance to cast ballots under equitable maps because of the litigation and the tenacious advocacy of the plaintiffs.
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