Page 12 - Fair Maps News Today

There seems to be only one thing people of both political parties can agree on -- our legislative process is broken. Compromise is rare, most elections have pre-ordained winners, and incumbents feel free to ignore constituents who disagree with them. Fortunately, we have an opportunity to fix the problem once and for all.  We can restore Wisconsin’s reputation as a state that works by and for the people, and we have introduced legislation that can do just that. We are two elected offici...

OPINION  There seems to be only one thing people of both political parties can agree on – our legislative process is broken. Compromise is rare, most elections have pre-ordained winners and incumbents feel free to ignore constituents who disagree with them. Fortunately we have an opportunity to fix the problem once and for all. We can restore Wisconsin’s reputation as a state that works by and for the people, and we have introduced legislation that can do just that. We are two e...

Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) expressed frustration about the Democrats’ failure to live up to its promise of cooperating fully with Republicans in creating fair maps. Durkin also went as far as 2016 to cite House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 58 (HJRCA 58) which was a comprehensive bipartisan measure to put up an Independent Commission made up of eight members appointed by the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. "The bottom line is that the Democrats have absolutel...

The League of Women Voters of Bucks County celebrated the "People Powered Fair Maps National Day of Action" on Thursday, April 29 at the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown.

April 27, 2021 The drawing of fair legislative district maps has become a key issue for the League of Women Voters.  In Wisconsin, the majority party has the privilege of redrawing voting district maps after every census.  League President Linda Reinhardt says the current method allows elected officials to pick their voters, rather than the other way around.  Reinhardt says this means many legislative seats are secure, and those representatives don’t need to listen to the opposing p...

While on the campaign trail in 2018, Gov. Pritzker was asked if he would veto a legislative map that was “in any way drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies?” He said YES, he would veto. He went on to say, “We should amend the constitution to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps, but in the meantime, I would urge Democrats and Republicans to agree to an independent commission to handle creating a new legislative map....

Buffalo County passes Fair Maps referendum (4/16/2021)   On April 6, voters in conservative-leaning Buffalo County overwhelmingly supported a call to reform the way political maps are drawn in Wisconsin. A referendum on Fair Maps — a proposal to create an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission — passed with 1,306 yes votes (65 percent) to 562 no votes (28 percent). Voters in three other Wisconsin counties backed similar referendums on April 6, joining 55 ...

Eric Stock / WGLT McLean County government will soon hold its first in-person meetings in more than a year as the county begins its once-a-decade remapping of County Board districts. The board on Thursday unanimously approved a change to its rules to allow for the nine-member Executive Committee and the public to appear in person in the County Board room (Room 400 of the Government Center, Bloomington) or virtually during three meetings in the coming weeks. They are scheduled for 4:30 p.m....

Wisconsin Examiner Gear up for new maps Demonstrators gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments in Gill v. Whitford, Wisconsins gerrymandering case. (Photo by Olivier Douliery/Getty Images) The conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturns an emergency public health order in the middle of a pandemic — even as new COVID cases rise. Writing for the majority, Justice Brian Hagedorn acknowledges that the virus is “dangerous” and has “taken far too many ...

Join the discussion about redistricting at public hearings Linda Hanson Want your vote to count for the next 10 years? Now is the time to make your voice heard! We need Fair Maps when Indiana lawmakers redistrict after the census data is returned this summer.  Register in advance at allinfordemocracy.org for a public hearing to be held by the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission on March 16, 7-9 p.m. (Congressional District 6). Indiana Leagues of Women Voters have been laying groundwork ...