Press Release: Gov. Evers Doubles Down on Partisan Gerrymandering Ban: “There’s nothing to negotiate.”

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 04/14/2026 12:46 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 

Gov. Evers Doubles Down on Partisan Gerrymandering Ban: “There’s nothing to negotiate.”
Legislature still refusing to add ban on partisan gerrymandering to state constitution, jeopardizing Wisconsin’s fair maps
With no permanent independent redistricting process in place, Wisconsinites could see partisan map rigging return after fair maps ushered in historic era of bipartisan accomplishments
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today doubled down on banning partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin, telling members of the Wisconsin State Legislature, “There’s nothing to negotiate because there’s no room for compromise when it comes to making sure Wisconsinites’ voices matter and their votes count.”

Gov. Evers last month, as promised during his 2026 State of the State address, called the Wisconsin State Legislature into a special session that was set to convene at noon today, April 14, urging lawmakers to take up a constitutional amendment banning partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Wisconsinites and Americans have watched in recent months as President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration have pressured Republican Legislatures across the country into passing maps that are rigged to benefit Republicans, forcing Democratic Legislatures in other states to respond by attempting to restore balance to national elections. 

Since the governor’s special session announcement, Republican and Democratic lawmakers had expressed reservations about the governor’s effort to ban the practice, with each party hedging for the potential that, by securing legislative majorities, they can retain the power to draw the state’s maps in favor of their political party. Similar sentiment prior to the 2010 U.S. Census being conducted resulted in a decade of Wisconsinites living under some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America until it was remedied in 2024 when Gov. Evers signed fair maps into law. Republicans in the Wisconsin State Assembly today indicated they plan to leave Gov. Evers’ special session call open indefinitely, providing no indication of why the Wisconsin State Assembly is refusing to vote to add a straight-up ban on partisan gerrymandering to the state constitution. As of this writing, it remains unclear as to what, if any, action the Wisconsin State Senate plans to take with the governor’s special session call. 

With no ban on partisan gerrymandering and no nonpartisan and independent redistricting process permanently in place, Wisconsinites could see a return to partisan map rigging just years after Gov. Evers enacted fair maps, which ushered in a historic era of bipartisan work and accomplishments in the battleground swing state, including a bipartisan state budget, a comprehensive plan to fight PFAS statewide, expanding postpartum coverage for new moms, and ensuring eligible Dreamers can receive credentials for certain occupations, among other key legislative accomplishments. 

“Rigging maps so that one political party stays in power is wrong, it’s anti-democratic, and it’s un-American—there’s nothing to negotiate because there’s no room for compromise when it comes to making sure Wisconsinites’ voices matter and their votes count,” said Gov. Evers. “This is a first step—if we don’t get a ban on partisan gerrymandering put in Wisconsin’s constitution, lawmakers will never be forced to create the independent and nonpartisan redistricting process Wisconsinites deserve. Lawmakers either want to ban partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin or they don’t. It’s that simple. If lawmakers fail to take a public vote on this basic question, then Wisconsinites have no choice but to assume their lawmaker’s position on this issue.

“Folks, fair maps work. Wisconsin is a purple, battleground swing state. But thanks to the fair legislative maps I signed into law two years ago, we’ve passed a bipartisan, pro-kid budget that invested in our K-12 kids and schools, lowered child care costs for working families, and made the largest investment in our UW System in nearly two decades. And we’ve worked together to release funding to fight PFAS statewide, expand postpartum coverage for new moms, ensure Wisconsin women can get the preventative care they need, and help Dreamers get their professional licensure to support our workforce. Fair maps made bipartisanship possible. Wisconsin cannot go back to having some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America,” said Gov. Evers. “While Wisconsin has fair legislative maps today, without a basic ban on partisan gerrymandering, there’s no guarantee Wisconsinites will still have fair legislative maps after the next U.S. Census, especially after I am no longer governor. This is just too darn important, folks. We have to ban partisan gerrymandering once and for all in Wisconsin.”  

Gov. Evers has long been an advocate for creating an independent and nonpartisan redistricting process in Wisconsin to ensure fair maps and remove partisanship from reapportionment, maintaining Wisconsin’s safe and secure elections, and ensuring every eligible Wisconsin voter can cast their ballot. The governor has previously opposed efforts by Republican lawmakers to pass a nonpartisan redistricting plan that would have required Legislature-picked and Legislature-approved map drawers. Gov. Evers has been clear that he prefers a nonpartisan redistricting option that does not allow legislators or Legislature-controlled entities to be involved in drawing legislative districts due to the obvious conflict. 

Gov. Evers’ work to secure fair legislative maps marked the first time in over 50 years that Wisconsin had legislative maps enacted through the legislative process rather than through the courts. The new fair legislative maps enacted by Gov. Evers two years ago are responsive to the will of the people, avoid partisan bias, and increase the number of competitive legislative seats. These maps were previously submitted by the governor to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for their consideration in redistricting litigation in Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission. Gov. Evers’ maps, as submitted to the Court, were passed by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Legislature with bipartisan support and enacted by the governor as 2023 Wisconsin Act 94. 

While Wisconsin currently has fair legislative maps for the first time in generations, thanks to Gov. Evers, the state does not currently have an independent and nonpartisan redistricting process in place that will be utilized after the 2030 U.S. Census, when reapportionment will next be conducted. Without an independent, nonpartisan redistricting process in place, the next maps passed and enacted by a future Wisconsin State Legislature and Wisconsin governor could return a partisan gerrymander for either political party, returning Wisconsin to having rigged maps just a few short years after Wisconsinites finally secured fair maps for the first time in a generation. 

Republican lawmakers have repeatedly sought to use the constitutional amendment process to circumvent the governor’s broad constitutional veto power (constitutional amendments cannot be vetoed), in addition to helping generate motivation and turnout for conservative candidates on the ballot in Wisconsin. For example, Republicans have added two constitutional amendments to the upcoming November ballot and could still add yet another constitutional amendment to Wisconsinites’ ballots.  

Meanwhile, unlike in other states, Wisconsin residents do not have the power to propose new laws or constitutional amendments through a binding ballot initiative process, which would otherwise enable the people of Wisconsin to enact policy changes through a simple statewide majority vote. In Wisconsin, only the Legislature can approve and place ballot questions on the ballot, leaving Wisconsinites little recourse when the Legislature fails to enact policies that have broad public support, such as adopting a nonpartisan redistricting process.

In Wisconsin, constitutional amendments must be taken up in two consecutive legislative sessions in order to be placed on the ballot for voter approval, and then must be approved by a majority of the statewide vote.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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