CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – One thing extraordinary and disturbing occurred at a judicial discussion board earlier this month. Everett Mitchell and Janet Protasiewicz, each liberal candidates operating for a seat on the supreme court docket, supplied the opinion that Wisconsin’s political maps are gerrymandered, and that the courts have a task to play in correcting that.
Judicial candidates usually don’t touch upon circumstances that will come earlier than them. And these candidates have each revealed themselves as judicial super-activists, prepared to alter the legislation and usurp powers from different branches of presidency for themselves within the judiciary.
Yet another liberal on the state’s highest court docket might undo a superb and proper ruling from final 12 months. The state supreme court docket stated the one redistricting situation they might take a look at is whether or not every district has the identical variety of voters in it. Why? As a result of that’s the one factor the state structure says. The precise drawing of the boundaries is as much as the legislature, not the courts.
And, as a place to begin, gerrymandered Wisconsin is a lie. Wisconsin has two giant cities, Milwaukee and Madison, which might be overwhelmingly liberal. Exterior their boundaries, Wisconsin is majority conservative. The wealthier suburbs round Milwaukee are conservative. Another areas are extra evenly divided, just like the western a part of the state closest to Minneapolis.
Since political districts are geographical, it’s unimaginable to unfold all of the liberals in two giant cities to different components of the state. Should you don’t imagine me, take a look at the redistricting maps the Governor Tony Evers proposed. His personal boundaries would have flipped the majorities in solely two voting districts… not almost sufficient to make a distinction in Wisconsin’s congressional or state voting. Republicans maintain 64 of the 99 seats within the state legislature and 22 of the 33 seats within the state senate. Do Democrats get extra general votes in state elections? Sure. As a result of Democrats win races in Milwaukee and Madison with enormous majorities of 80 and 90 %. However Republicans win the opposite races across the state 60-40 or 55-45. Till folks begin residing elsewhere, these forms of disparities aren’t going away.
Chris Conley
