Letter to the Editor: Gerrymandering Back in Our Court

To scathing dissent, the Supreme Court has punted on gerrymandering. They threw it back to the states to correct the undemocratic process of redrawing voting district boundaries favoring the political party in power. The process dates back to before the ink was dry on the Constitution, back to when women were not allowed to vote.

Gerrymander is derived from Elbridge Gerry who in 1812, as governor of Massachusetts, crafted a redistricting plan with a district so misshapen it reminded people of a salamander. Before Scott Walker, there was Illinois State Senator Obama redrawing his Illinois district. In Pennsylvania there’s the Donald Duck Being Kicked by Goofy District. In Ohio there’s the Lake Erie Monster. Gerrymandering on a grand scale is a reason we have two “Dakota” states instead of one. Governor Walker and his proficient latecomer associates can now utilize massive data collections and sophisticated electronic algorithms to facilitate an increasingly unethical gerrymander.

With Iowa’s lead, 13 states (three pending) have created independent nonpartisan commissions responsible for redistricting decisions. These 16 states include traditional red, blue and purple states from Idaho to Arkansas, Hawaii to New Jersey.

In Wisconsin 74 percent of us (Marquette poll) want to see gerrymandering eliminated. At Wisconsin’s county level 47 of our 72 counties have passed resolutions urging the end of gerrymandering. The Door County Resolution passed 19 to 0. Representative Kitchens knows of our desire to end the shenanigans of gerrymandering. At a listening session he said that if a bill to end gerrymandering came before him he would support it. He knows right from wrong and he also knows 75 percent of his constituents want to end gerrymandering. 

In a classical example of party over people, Rep. Kitchens also stated that he would not introduce such a bill as it would have no chance in the current legislature and would cost him political capital on a losing effort.

Wisconsin claims with some pride we were the first state to ratify the 19th amendment. Some ethical issues are not in the gray zone. Denying women the right to vote and gerrymandering are both just wrong!

Norman Wilsman

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin