Are state prison inmates unbalancing Wisconsin politics? The 22,000 inmates in Wisconsin prisons are counted locally for census purposes and state Representative Fred Kessler, a Milwaukee Democrat, believes that gives some parts of the state an unfair political advantage.

State Rep. Fred Kessler (5:45 MP3)

“Assembly District 53 has nearly ten percent of its total population as persons who are incarcerated in the prison at Waupan or the prison at Oshkosh,” said Kessler. But state Representative Joan Ballweg says the political impact of counting prisoners is minimal in most of the state. “I think this is maybe more of a local issue, as to how mayors and city councils work some of their particular districts,” said Ballweg. [Read more...]