Here is this week’s letter to the editor of the Sheboygan Press. See our letters policy below for details about how to share your views.
Gerrymandering and fair maps
Happening right now, long before our election in November, several states are gerrymandering their electoral districts to make sure which political party is going to win. It started with the Texas Legislature drawing new district lines for the House of Representatives that would likely ensure five new Republican representatives.
Not to be outdone, California recently approved a statewide referendum to redistrict to the advantage of Democrats. Virginia just approved a referendum that allows an extreme gerrymander in favor of Democrats. Other Republican states are thinking about joining this crazy fight as well.
What is stunning is the speed and intensity that fair maps have been abandoned. At the urging of President Trump, the Republicans started it. But the Democrats quickly answered in kind.
My point here is that gerrymandering is an inherently undemocratic practice. Republicans do it. Democrats do it. It allows politicians to choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. This is not good for our democracy.
There is a better way. Nonpartisan redistricting commissions operate under neutral, clear rules to draw district lines. After an extreme gerrymandering in Wisconsin that ran from 2012 to 2024, we now have fairer maps in place. Let’s put in place a nonpartisan redistricting commission here in Wisconsin that places fair maps in the hands of citizens, not politicians.
Mary Lynne Donohue
Sheboygan
Our letters policy
Letters to the editor are published in the order in which they are received and letter-writers are limited to having one letter published per month. Letters can be emailed to news@sheboyganpress.com and Editor Brandon Reid at breid@usatodayco.com. Letters must meet specific guidelines, including being no more than 250 words and be from local authors or on topics of local interest. All submissions must include the name of the person who wrote the letter, their city of residence and a contact phone number. Letters are edited as needed for style, grammar, length, fairness, accuracy and libel.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan letter calls for nonpartisan redistricting in Wisconsin
Reporting by Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
