Toby MG

I am on record that I believe the state Constitution already bans gerrymandering and the Court should recognize that. I believe maps should be drawn by an independent commission, not by politicians. I also believe the current maps are *fairer* than the 2011 maps and 2021 maps, but they are not totally *fair*. This was a blowout, and Dems have a slight majority. If it was a GOP blowout, the GOP would have a huge majority. Urban density of Dems explains only a small part of that. The fact is that the current maps are better, but still not good. In fact, we mathematically proved that in court - evidence that has never been refuted. I want maps that reflect the state. I want *more* competitive districts. I think if either party (not just Dems, but equally true for both parties) wins a big majority of votes, they should have a big majority of seats. Look back. I think the results of the 2010 election were fair and I said so then. The problem was the GOP locked in those results despite what happened in elections for the next decade-plus. I’m pretty comfortable I have the moral high ground here, not Robin Vos and his acolytes. But happy to debate this issue anytime.

I need to say something. In 2022, during Biden's midterm, Minnesota and Michigan elected Dem trifectas to join Illinois' Dem trifecta. The upper Midwest was united. WI's Gov. Tony Evers was re-elected, but the Republicans kept both houses of the Legislature. WI Republicans claim that WI voters were different, their candidates were different, their campaigns were different, Dem candidates were different (weaker). But that was a lie. What was different is that Minnesota had fair maps. Michigan's voters had given them fair maps. And Wisconsin's maps were still rigged. This week's elections were clear proof of this. Again, in a mid-term election, Dems won trifectas in Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois. The Dem candidate for governor in Wisconsin won. But this time, because we have fairer maps, Dems in Wisconsin won the trifecta too. We would have done so in 2018 under fair maps. Indisputably. Dems probably would have won legislative majorities in 2012 and 2020. We would have had a much narrower Republican majority after the 2016 election. Rigged maps ruined Wisconsin for a generation. Now, in Minnesota and Michigan, Republicans won a bunch of seats back in 2024. That might happen again in those two states in 2028, and in Wisconsin. Although, I think people will want to finally turn the page on Trump and I think 2028 will be a good Dem year. We'll see. But if Republicans win under fairer maps, that's okay. Because as much as I'm a partisan Dem, I'm an American first. We have to win elections to earn the right to exercise power. All I'm saying is Tuesday was final proof that the Republicans rigged the maps in 2011/2012, they kept it rigged through an incredibly activist court ruling called "least change," and now that we have finally won a fair court, and we have fairer maps, we can actually have a little more actual democracy in Wisconsin. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.