County Board rejects move to put redistricting on ballot

The Ozaukee County Board on Wednesday voted 16-10 before a crowded gallery to reject a resolution that called for putting a referendum on the spring ballot urging the state Legislature to create a nonpartisan method of drawing new elected district boundaries.

“I think you have an opportunity to make our voting system more fair and just,” said county resident Dean Johnson, one of more than 20 people who asked to speak to supervisors before they voted.

The board tabled the issue last month to give Corporation Counsel Rhonda Gordon more time to study whether the board should even vote on the matter.

She concluded it should not and advised them in a memorandum to not do so.

Supr. Alice Read, an attorney, disagreed, however, saying current state law gives the county power to put non-binding referenda on the ballot. 

Other supervisors noted the board had put non-county issues on the ballot in the past and passed other resolutions not directly related to county business.

Supr. Jennifer Rothstein, who sponsored the resolution along with Read and several other supervisors, said the current system is “absurd” and urged supervisors to approve the resolution.

“It’s a simple request. They’re not even asking us to vote” on the referendum issue itself, she said.

The referendum would have asked that “the Wisconsin Legislature create a nonpartisan procedure for the preparation of state legislative and congressional district plans and maps.”

Currently, the Legislature draws district boundaries.

The resolution is modeled after one found on the Madison-based Wisconsin Democracy Campaign “Fair Maps” website.

The group says 50 of the state’s 72 counties have passed a Fair Maps resolution going back to 2013, with eight counties passing the referendum since 2014, most recently in La Crosse and Vernon counties last April.

Supr. Tom Richart said the Wisconsin Counties Association, which represents county governments at the state level, last fall approved a resolution calling for non-partisan drawing of districts following the census, rendering an Ozaukee County resolution unnecessary.

“We don’t need to buy a train ticket after the train has left the station,” he said.

Critics say the movement to depoliticize the redistricting process is primarily led by those with Democratic Party connections seeking to wrest control of the process from the Republican-led Legislature.

“It seems the reason this is being brought up now is because we have a major election coming up this year,” Supr. Lew Herro said.

“This is being pushed by one party and being opposed by another party,” Supr. Bruce Ross said. “I am beyond concerned that the camel’s nose is being inserted and obstructing the effectiveness of this body.”

Supr. Marty Wolf said creating a non-partisan board is no guarantee of a fair redistricting process, citing recent issues involving the former Government Accountability Board and its successor, the Elections Commission, which Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Paul Malloy on Monday found to be in contempt of court when it refused to follow his order to strike up to 232,500 addresses from the voter registration lists.

“The Elections Commission is in contempt of court and not accountable to voters,” he said. “I want people to have as great a voice as possible, and that is the system we have now.”

Wolf also challenged the contention by some speakers that the current redistricting process was unfair, noting that Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Gov. Tony Evers, both Democrats, won in 19 districts that elected Republicans to the Assembly.

The board was divided along regional lines, with the 10 who voted in favor representing southern county districts and those to the north voting against it.

Kathy Geracie, of Cedarburg, said constituents she heard from were “overwhelmingly” in favor of the resolution while Supr. Don Dohrwardt, of Fredonia said every constituent he heard from were against it.