MADISON, Wis. — The nonpartisan People's Maps Commission is once again asking for citizens to weigh in after releasing draft versions of new legislative maps for Wisconsin Thursday evening.
After nearly a year of work, which began with public hearings last October, Wisconsinites got their first look Thursday at three draft versions of Senate, Assembly, and Congressional maps from the redistricting commission created by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Here's a look at the three options being put forth for our eight congressional districts in Wisconsin.
As you can see, the versions are very different from one another, as well as from the current congressional boundaries.
Chair Christopher Ford said the maps are computer-generated based on the commission's criteria, such as keeping counties and wards intact. Ford said each map meets the standards in a different way.
“They will appear differently just because each [criterion] that we have, you know the computer draws the lines a little bit differently,” Ford said. “From that, what we did is we tweaked them. Just knowing our communities, each individual commissioner, we spent, I can't even tell you how much time with each one of the maps.”
Earlier this week, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a resolution that called for using Wisconsin's current maps as the basis for new boundaries. Ford, however, said that doesn't change what the group plans to submit and insisted citizens continue to share their feedback.
“Our commission was created to be nonpartisan, it was created to be reflective of the people of the state, of Wisconsin,” Ford said. “Each of us come from each of these communities, each of these congressional districts, and we have essentially poured our lives into this outside of work, outside of family, in order to give you a product that you can feel proud of, give you a product that you feel reflected in, and give you a product that your vote will count.”
If you want to share your feedback on the draft maps, the PMC public comment portal, where all public input to date is available for view, will remain open until 11:59 p.m. On Thursday, October 7.
You can find the portal here.