Breaking the Country’s Worst Gerrymander: Wisconsin, 1 year later

One year ago, on Dec. 22, 2023, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court struck down the country’s most extreme and durable partisan gerrymander. In Clarke v. WEC, which was brought by 19 brave plaintiffs from across Wisconsin,the court ruled the non-contiguous nature of the gerrymandered maps violated our state constitution and could not be used in any further elections. This ruling broke the gerrymander that had stifled voters’ voices for more than a dozen years. On Feb. 19, 2024 Gov. Evers signed fair maps into law–marking the first time in more than half a century that a politically divided legislative and executive branch in Wisconsin had enacted new maps. These new maps ensured that no longer would Wisconsinites live under policies that were the result of preordained state legislative elections. Finally, voters would again be able to pick their leaders, instead of the other way around. The gerrymander silenced voters based on how they looked, who they voted for, or where they came from. We were proud to represent the Clarke plaintiffs in court because, no matter what zip code you live in, all of us should have our voices heard in the decisions that impact our lives.

The November 2024 elections were the first held under the new maps, and the results were dramatic. Thanks in no small part to the new maps, Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to defend and advance democracy. Fair maps sparked a renewal of competitive electoral contests, which led to an Assembly and Senate makeup that more closely matches the wishes of Wisconsin voters to be a purple state.

1. 1. A decade ago, only half of legislative races on the ballot were contested; in 2024, in more than 80% of the races on the ballot, both major parties ran candidates. This helped drive record voter participation (bucking the national trend where turnout dipped in 2024 compared to 2020).
   2. Ten seats swung in the Assembly, changing from the gerrymandered 64-35 majority to a closer 54-45.
   3. While only half the State Senate seats were up for election in 2024, the gerrymander had previously manufactured a 22-11 supermajority. Under only one election with fair maps, already the Senate has a more representative 18-15 split.

What the 2024 election made clear is that the new maps will deliver legislative power to the party whose candidates attract the most votes. That’s how democracy should work. Under the gerrymander, wildly popular policy proposals were not discussed in the Legislature, much less voted on. We hope that in 2025, the policies Wisconsinites have shown broad public support for will get their due consideration in the Legislature. Voters have repeatedly asked for things like higher funding for public schools, red flag laws, and protections for abortion rights. Now–because of fair maps–legislators will have to listen, or risk being voted out. In short, democracy is back in Wisconsin. As we head into 2025 and beyond, we will continue to ask the Wisconsin State Supreme Court to interpret and vindicate the Wisconsin Consitution. Our state constitution affords and protects our freedom to vote, our freedom from legislative overreach, our freedom to gather together in union, our guarantee to receive essential public services, and the freedom for communities to solve local problems. We’ll continue to protect these freedoms in court.