FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2018
Contact: Aaron Collins, 608-266-2254
Wisconsin Democrats call for non-partisan redistricting reform
Madison – Today, the Supreme Court remanded Gill v. Whitford, the Wisconsin gerrymandering case, back to lower courts. Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement.
“I am proud that a dedicated group of Wisconsin citizens took this case all the way to the Supreme Court. Today’s ruling is not a victory for Republicans who gerrymandered our maps, but another step in our march toward democracy,” Rep. Hintz stated. “It is beyond time we move non-partisan redistricting reform forward and end seven years of Republican gerrymandering.
The Supreme Court did not find the maps to be constitutional. Instead, they found that the plaintiffs did not have a standing. This comes after a three-judge panel in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin struck down the state legislative maps in November 2016. It is important to note that the case was not dismissed but rather remanded to the District Court to allow the plaintiffs an opportunity to demonstrate they were harmed by the maps.
“It is now up to the next Governor and legislature to take up non-partisan redistricting reform. Republicans have worked to preserve power and avoid accountability at every turn over the course of the last 7 years. This case has brought national attention to Wisconsin. Wisconsinites know that voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.
“Wisconsin has a rich tradition of electing candidates and majorities from both parties. In recent years, Republicans have denied voters the right to choose their representatives in order to suppress public opposition of their extreme agenda,” Rep. Hintz concluded.
Republicans legislators have continually blocked Democratic plans (AB 44) for non-partisan redistricting reform.
