The Republican-controlled Legislature passed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ legislative maps proposal in a vote Tuesday.
The Assembly passed Evers' legislative maps in a 63-33 vote after the Senate voted 18-14 Tuesday.
The vote follows Evers' veto of Republicans’ most recent map proposals in January, which he called unbalanced and unfair.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the current legislative maps in December, ruling the districts unconstitutional because they lacked contiguity — meaning all parts of a voting district were not physically in contact.
In January, state lawmakers, petitioners and Evers submitted their new legislative maps to the court. The maps would have reduced Republican advantage in Wisconsin.
Consultants hired by the court said in a report released earlier this month the proposal submitted by Legislature was a Republican gerrymander that “does not deserve further consideration.”
The consultants said they had no concerns about the maps submitted by Evers and Democrats, but would leave questions of constitutionality to Wisconsin’s highest court.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said during a press conference prior to the Senate vote his election will prove to be “more challenging” with Evers’ maps but he believes the GOP has stronger messaging and can win.
“If the governor signs the map, I am supremely confident that that is the map that we will run on in November,” Vos said. “Whether I like it or not, that's what we're going to deal with.”
Currently, Republicans hold a 64-35 majority in the Assembly and a 22-11 supermajority in the Senate.
Evers vetoed a previous maps proposal passed by the Legislature in January that aimed to prevent incumbents from being moved from their current districts.
All members of the Assembly and state senators in even-numbered districts will run in redrawn districts in 2024. State senators in odd-numbered districts will remain in office until their current term ends in 2026.
The court said it would step in to ensure new maps are adopted in time for the primary election if Evers and the GOP-controlled Legislature fail to pass new maps by March 15.
This is a developing story.
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the arts editor. Anna has written in-depth on elections, legislative maps and campus news. She has interned with WisPolitics and Madison Magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @annakleiber03.
Francesca Pica is the editor-in-chief for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the city news editor. She has covered multiple municipal elections, state politics and is a leading reporter on Madison labor issues. She served as an intern for The Capital Times, currently serves as a WisPolitics intern and will also intern with the Wisconsin State Journal this summer.
Ava Menkes is the managing editor at The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the state news editor. She has covered multiple stories about the upcoming election, healthcare and campus, and written in-depth about rural issues, legislative maps and youth voter turnout. She will be an incoming intern with Wisconsin Watch. Follow her on Twitter at @AvaMenkes.
