Redistricting Reform

The Wisconsin Assembly passed a redistricting reform bill that would put staff in the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau in charge of drawing legislative districts. Sounds great, right? Then why has reaction from pro-democracy groups been overwhelmingly negative? This statement from LWVWI Executive Director Debra Cronmiller summarizes the objections. Other partners were equally unimpressed. Common Cause in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and the Fair Maps Coalition all call attention to the ways in which the bill creates a veneer of fairness, while changing nothing about where ultimate decision-making authority lies: squarely in the hands of the gerrymandered legislature.