Sponsor
Alderman Helding
Title
A resolution proclaiming opposition to the loss of local control, additional costs, and damage to the interests of the citizens of Racine as caused by changes to Wisconsin's redistricting statutes.
WHEREAS, the US Constitution requires that every 10 years representative districts be redrawn, equalizing population to achieve the goal of “one person, one vote” at all levels of government; and
WHEREAS, Federal and State law mandate that the new districts be compact and contiguous, respect existing municipal boundaries, and reflect communities of interest; and
WHEREAS, the City of Racine’s Redistricting Committee held a series of open, publicly noticed meetings; and
WHEREAS, on July 19, 2011 the Common Council of the City of Racine approved a tentative ward map created under existing state law; and
WHEREAS, on July 8, 2011, contained within Senate Bills 148 and 149 the State legislature released draft maps of Congressional, Senatorial, and Assembly Districts several months ahead of schedule and well before the deadline for municipal definition of wards; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 150 was also released on July 8, 2011, which retroactively changes state statutes to allow the State Legislature to define its districts first and force municipalities to alter their ward boundaries with disregard toward what had been drafted and in some cases adopted by July 8, 2011; and
WHEREAS, the week given for reaction to the new statutes and maps by municipalities and the public coincides with yearly training for municipal clerks who are responsible for running elections and thus are in many cases not available to provide feedback on how the statutory changes will increase the costs and difficulties of holding elections over the next decade; and
WHEREAS, the new maps force the immediate creation in Racine of eight new wards, five of which will be below the legal threshold of 800 residents, incurring additional election costs for every election for the next 10 years; and
WHEREAS, in Racine the new maps create one new ward containing only 84 people, making it probable that voters in that ward will not always be guaranteed a secret ballot; and
WHEREAS, the new maps will create additional costs not only in Racine but in most municipalities by forcing modification of ward and district maps already drafted; and
WHEREAS, the net effect of SB 148, SB 149, and SB 150 is to remove all local control of the redistricting process.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Racine decries the costly change to process being forced upon both it and the rest of Wisconsin for purely partisan ends; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Racine will take all reasonable legal actions possible to fight the loss of local control and damage to our citizens' interests that the actions of the Legislature have caused; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Racine believes that the redistricting and reapportionment process should be conducted as it has been under existing state law, and in particular that municipalities should be responsible for determining ward lines before other units of government, including the state, set their districts, as municipalities are best equipped to identify and protect communities of interest; and
Fiscal Note: N/A