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Wisconsin's outgoing Democratic governor pushes for a ban on gerrymandering

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+ From By Anya van Wagtendonk Wisconsin Gov.

− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Wisconsin's outgoing Democratic governor pushes for a ban on gerrymandering The major political parties' redistricting battle has spread across the country.

+ Tony Evers speaks at the state Capitol in Madison in early 2025.

− But Wisconsin may go the other direction.

+ Evers, who won't seek another term in office, is seeking a constitutional amendment that would ban partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin.

− That's if the outgoing governor gets his way.

+ Morry Gash/AP hide caption MADISON, Wis.

− Politics Wisconsin's outgoing Democratic governor pushes for a ban on gerrymandering March 23, 20265:05 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered From By Anya van Wagtendonk Wisconsin's outgoing Democratic governor pushes for a ban on gerrymandering Listen · 3:19 3:19 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5742764/nx-s1-9699989" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The major political parties' redistricting battle has spread across the country.

+ — As state lawmakers across the U.S.

− But Wisconsin may go the other direction.

+ engage in a kind of redistricting arms race, with the major political parties both trying to redraw congressional maps in ways that favor them, Wisconsin Democratic Gov.

− That's if the outgoing governor gets his way. Sponsor Message SCOTT DETROW, HOST: Republicans and Democrats have been locked in a state-by-state redistricting battle, but Wisconsin may sit that battle out if the outgoing governor gets his way. Wisconsin Public Radio's Anya van Wagtendonk explains.

+ Tony Evers says he wants a disarmament in his swing state.

− ANYA VAN WAGTENDONK, BYLINE: Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, is retiring early next year, and at his final State of the State address last month, he said he'll try to get one big thing done before he goes.

+ Although the state legislature has adjourned, Evers is calling lawmakers back to Madison for a special session to consider a constitutional amendment that would ban partisan gerrymandering.

− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) TONY EVERS: So tonight I'm announcing that I'll be calling a special session of the legislature this spring to take up a constitutional amendment to ban partisan gerrymandering once and for all in Wisconsin.

+ "Politics should stay out of redistricting from start to finish," said Evers, who's in his last term, when he called for the special session this month.

− (CHEERING) VAN WAGTENDONK: Districting has been a partisan battle in Wisconsin for years.

+ His announcement comes as a national redistricting battle continues, after President Trump encouraged Republican-led states to redraw their maps mid-decade, spurring a tit-for-tat response from Democratic-led states.

− State legislative maps enacted under former Republican Governor Scott Walker in 2011 were some of the most gerrymandered in the country and survived years of court challenges. But when liberals took a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, they threw those out. The new maps are more favorable to Democrats. After all that, Governor Evers says banning partisan gerrymandering would be like a disarmament. And he might have a surprising window of opportunity.

+ Virginia and Florida may soon be in the mix, with Virginia Democrats putting a special referendum on congressional redistricting to voters, and with Florida Republicans convening their own special session.

− ROBIN VOS: If we could negotiate and try to find something that is truly nonpartisan, you never know.

+ Politics The next redistricting battle might be who is counted in state legislative districts In Wisconsin, Evers' special sessions don't usually go anywhere in the Republican-led legislature.

− I'd be open to that.

+ But experts say he may have an unusual window of opportunity.

− VAN WAGTENDONK: That's Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Wisconsin's most powerful Republican.

+ "The environment has changed in Wisconsin and nationally over the last couple of years that make this a possibility in a way it wouldn't have been for many years," said Barry Burden, who directs the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That's because Wisconsin has its own long history with redistricting — one that has led to no clear advantage for either party in the coming years.

− His party controls both chambers of the legislature, so usually, they don't really entertain Evers' special sessions.

+ Unlike California or Texas, Wisconsin's electorate is nearly perfectly divided between Democrats and Republicans.

− But this time around, Vos says he's skeptical but willing to discuss.

+ Presidential elections are frequently decided by less than a percentage point.

− BARRY BURDEN: Well, it's unusual, but I think it has potential. VAN WAGTENDONK: Barry Burden directs the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

+ But until recently, that wasn't well reflected in the state legislature.

− He says that those potential negotiations reveal swing-state calculus.

+ State legislative maps enacted under Republican Gov.

− Unlike, say, California or Texas, Wisconsin is purple as heck.

+ Scott Walker in 2011 were some of the most gerrymandered in the country, giving the Republican Party a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in seats.

− The governor's seat and at least one chamber of the legislature could easily flip this fall.

+ Those maps survived years of court challenges. But when liberals took a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, they threw those out.

− That could leave either side vulnerable when new maps are drawn after the 2030 census.

+ The new maps are more favorable to Democrats.

− BURDEN: With divided government and uncertain election results on the horizon, I think both parties have an interest in doing maybe something they think is right, rather than something that will advantage their party, because it's not clear that they will have the ability to lock in those advantages.

+ That has created a new swing-state calculus, Burden said.

− VAN WAGTENDONK: And gerrymandering resonates with voters on both sides of the political aisle, according to Sachin Chheda.

+ Elections Only a fraction of House seats are competitive.

− He's a Democratic strategist who helped lead the fight against Wisconsin's Republican gerrymander last decade.

+ Redistricting is driving that lower "For many years since the 2010 census, Republicans felt like they had such a durable majority in both chambers that they didn't need to worry about this before," he said.

− He says, while politicians may benefit from skewed maps, most voters don't want them.

+ "Now, with divided government and uncertain election results on the horizon, I think both parties have an interest in doing maybe something they think is right, rather than something that will advantage their party, because it's not clear that they will have the ability to lock in those advantages." So while the governor's seat has reliably gone back and forth between parties since the 1960s, it's newly possible, for the first time in more than a decade, that Democrats could hold at least one chamber of the legislature come November. That means either side will be vulnerable when new maps are drawn after the 2030 census.

− SACHIN CHHEDA: People are against this.

+ Wisconsin leaders are "trying to game out three election cycles in advance here," said Anthony Chergosky, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

− Democrats are against it.

+ "They're basically saying, like, 'I wonder what's going to happen in 2026, and based on that, I wonder what will happen in 2028, and based on that, I wonder what will happen in 2030.'" And rather than playing 3D chess in a purple state, Chergosky said, perhaps lawmakers would be more strategic to put the board away entirely. People cast ballots during early voting in Waukesha, Wis., on March 18, 2025.

− Republicans are against it.

+ Jeffrey Phelps/AP hide caption Wisconsin's powerful Republican Assembly speaker, Robin Vos — who, like Evers, is also retiring — has said he has qualms with Evers' proposal.

− Independents are against it. All Americans are against partisan gerrymandering. We just need a political system that's responsive to that desire.

+ But, unlike in past special sessions, he's not dismissing the idea out of hand.

− VAN WAGTENDONK: But in Wisconsin, the devil is in the details, and so far, the details are scarce.

+ "The way that [Evers' proposed constitutional] amendment was, it would take how people vote and factor that into how we draw districts.

− Evers' proposed constitutional amendment is just two sentences long, and while it says maps can't create a disproportionate partisan advantage, that isn't defined.

+ That shouldn't matter, because it should be based on the person, not the party," Vos told reporters at a recent event in Madison.

− Burden, the UW expert, says this could still be a first step towards making maps fairer in Wisconsin.

+ "So if we could negotiate and try to find something that is truly nonpartisan, you never know.

− For lawmakers who fear being on the losing side of a gerrymander, that may be a step worth taking.

+ I'd be open to that." Yet Wisconsin's fellow Democratic leaders haven't responded to Evers' proposal with enthusiasm.

− For NPR News in Madison, Wisconsin, I'm Anya van Wagtendonk.

+ In a statement, Wisconsin State Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein indicated that Wisconsin Democrats may be loath to put down their arms under the Trump administration.

+ "We now live in a time when the Trump administration has shown its utter disregard for our courts and our democratic system," she said.

+ "I am a fighter and my commitment is to make sure the people of Wisconsin have a strong voice in their democracy and that Democrats have the resources and tools to fully participate in whatever redistricting processes may occur in the future." Regardless of where leaders stand on the issue, voters generally dislike gerrymandered maps, according to Sachin Chheda, a Milwaukee-based Democratic strategist who was a leader in efforts to overturn Walker's Republican gerrymander. "People are against this," he said.

− Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

+ "Democrats are against it; Republicans are against it; independents are against it; all Americans are against partisan gerrymandering.

− Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary.

+ We just need a political system that's responsive to that desire." In Wisconsin, the details of banning partisan gerrymandering are scarce.

− Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio.

+ Evers' proposed constitutional amendment is just two sentences long.

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+ And while it says maps can't create a "disproportionate" partisan advantage, it doesn't define that term. This could mean that, if the proposal does end up in the legislature, it could get heavily amended before eventually reaching Wisconsinites' ballots. Burden, the UW-Madison expert, said this could still be a first step toward making maps fairer in Wisconsin. "It puts both parties on the spot, in a way that they need to take a position," he said. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor