Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #285 on Tuesday, calling the Republican-controlled state Legislature into a special session on April 14 to take up a constitutional amendment banning partisan gerrymandering.
The Democratic governor said the proposed amendment would prohibit partisan map-drawing but would not prescribe a specific redistricting process or commission.
Evers signed new legislative maps into law in February 2024 with bipartisan support from the Republican-controlled Legislature, to replace maps he said were widely considered among the most gerrymandered in the country.
“Two years ago, I delivered on my promise and signed fair maps for Wisconsin into law, ending a decade of Wisconsinites living under some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America,” he wrote in a news release. “But here’s the rub: new maps are redrawn every 10 years, and while Wisconsin has fair maps today, we have no guarantee we’ll continue to have fair maps in the future. If the Legislature doesn’t act now, our maps could go right back to being rigged, and Wisconsinites could go right back to living under undemocratic maps—we cannot let that happen….
Wisconsin Gov. Evers Calls Special Session to ‘Ban Partisan Gerrymandering’ Through Constitutional Amendment
