A Republican plan to change the way Wisconsin’s electoral maps are drawn got a hearing at the Capitol on Thursday. State Representative Loren Oldenburg (R- Viroqua) explained that the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau would draw maps for lawmakers to consider.
“This legislation would ensure maps are drawn in a nonpartisan way and allow the legislature to fulfill a constitutional duty for the foreseeable future,” Oldenburg said.
But state Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said requiring a two-thirds majority vote on the maps is a flaw in this plan, which differs from what Democrats have long previously supported.
“Nothing in this bill guarantees that we get a fair map. And it seems to me that something that has three quarters support in both houses of the legislature is a lot more likely to be something that has buy in.”
The current maps are the subject of lawsuits that are expected to come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which now has a liberal majority.