When Gov. Tony Evers announced his People’s Maps Commission, he made some bold promises.
“ I promised the people of this state that I would fight for nonpartisan redistricting and fair, nonpartisan maps that were drawn in the light of day, and by golly, we’re going to make good on that promise,” he said in July 2020.
Promises made, promises broken.
Last week, the Democrat hustled over to the Wisconsin Supreme Court maps that he and his team — not the people — crafted, by golly, behind closed doors. Unless they drew up the redistricting plan while dining al fresco at breakfast, the final product wasn’t completed in the “light of day.”
All of this, of course, from a governor who has literally closed down open government.
Evers’ hastily drawn maps arrived after his own fellow Democrats in the Legislature rejected his People’s Maps Commission political boundaries. Among other problems, the maps violated the Voting Rights Act.
Late last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed it would take a “least change” approach in settling new state and congressional boundaries for the next decade.
The 4-3 ruling means the state’s high court will make only minimal changes to the current maps drawn up in 2011 by a Republican Legislature and governor. In short, the disputed maps will reflect the changes in the state’s population over the past 10 years, but they won’t be driven by political ideas of representational fairness.
Evers’ People’s maps and the ones he crafted behind closed doors have little to do with representational “fairness.” They attempt to drive up advantage for Democrats. Even then, he can’t get to a full tilt because Democrats have been so unsuccessful just about anywhere in the state not named Madison or Milwaukee.
Evers was a phony before his phony and self-righteous commission was created. His failure to come up with workable maps makes Evers a promise-breaker — again.
Ultimately, this governor is a tool of the Democratic Party. And this week — again — he is Empower Wisconsin’s Tool of the Week.
