Recently I had the opportunity to look at the new congressional districts map. I noticed the significant changes right away. Northern Juneau County, the most conservative area in the county, went to District 8, where Republican Congressman Sean Duffy replaced long time Congressman, Democrat David Obey. Northern parts of Congressional District 3, St. Croix and Vilas counties, all areas with a conservative voting history, also became part of District 8. Adams county came over from District 6, and areas including heavily Democrat Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point came from District 8 to become part of Democrat Ron Kind’s District 3. This is an obvious ploy to secure the seat of Sean Duffy, but at what expense? When you add it all up, I think the Republicans of the Third have just as much reason to be upset as the Democrats of the Eighth. Despite having been hauled before the Government Accountability Board twice during the campaign, and despite running a more personality based than an issues based campaign, Republican Congressional Candidate Dan Kapanke came within a whisker of defeating long time incumbent Kind. Now that opportunity, if not lost altogether, is made much more difficult. So to secure ONE seat, the Republican legislature has forfeited the opportunity to have both seats.

Nor was this the only case of political hanky-panky included in the redrawing of maps. A quick glance at the map in the Dane county area reveals irregular boundaries of several districts that can only logically be described as gerrymandering. To be sure, redistricting should be done without regard to protecting incumbents, and perhaps it is a coincidence, but several Democrats were redistricted right out of their districts. To be done fairly, I believe that district boundaries should be drawn with geographical features, not voting tendencies in mind. To the greatest extent possible, follow first city, township, village and county lines, dividing as few as possible. Then take into account rivers, major highways, and attempt to make each district as consolidated (geographically, not politically) as possible. This obviously was not done.

To add insult to injury, our state government paid up to $395 per hour and a total in excess of $350,000 for these tortured maps. The rates paid are obscene. I would gladly have done the job for $50 plus expenses, and I guarantee the maps would have been far superior. What a waste, given that they are likely to be thrown out by the courts.

So what is the fallout of all of this? Incumbents of both parties, if not redistricted out of a job, are made more secure. This is the opposite of the direction we should be going. The obvious bias of the maps exacerbates the extreme partisanship of our legislature. This will not make for good working relationships, and make it more difficult for even what should be bipartisan bills to pass. Independents who might otherwise vote Republican may be so turned off that they will either not vote at all, or vote Democrat in response to this fiasco, and even some of us Republicans may find it a bit more difficult to support the party line. This action will definitely make party recruitment more difficult. All in all, I think these maps may have undermined the future of the party, not secured it.