More than 50 protestors gathered in Houdini Plaza June 4, participating in coordinated statewide “Fair Maps for Good” day of action.
The protest was organized by the League of Women Voters and The Fair Maps Coalition, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in efforts to spread awareness on the detrimental effects of gerrymandering.
The practice is a common move used to redraw voting districts to help benefit a political party, typically whomever is the majority. Wisconsin has a history of this custom, and neither side of the aisle is innocent of “packing and cracking.”
Taking place just days after the signature filing deadline for candidates in the upcoming election, leaders hope to gain support from current lawmakers and future candidates for an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) and an end gerrymandering in Wisconsin.
“Under a gerrymandered map, their [people of Wisconsin] elected representatives don’t really have to listen to what [constituents] say in order to be re-elected, because they are in a district that is skewed more in one parties direction or in the other,” said Linda Bjella, past president and the current membership director for the League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities. “So we oppose gerrymandering no matter which party does it, because we’re a non-partisan organization.”
For the past year, the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition has been working with several local groups to help present a draft proposal for an IRC, interacting with the public for various levels of input, and overall striving toward a the goal of informing Wisconsinites. Protests like the one in Houdini Plaza are a tool to raise awareness, as a lack of knowledge toward this issue is a common roadblock for leaders like Penny Bernard Schaber, a former State Representative for the 57th Assembly District and a current Coalition member.
“Wisconsin has had gerrymandered maps for the last fifteen years,” said Bernard Schaber. “In 2011, the majority party at the time was Republican, and they were able to draw the maps directly in their favor, so they basically had a built in majority for the last fifteen years. We have been working to let people know that when that happens, their [your] vote doesn’t count the same as someone else’s.”
A crowd eventually gathered several minutes after the starting time, as one of the featured events was a three song performance by the local ensemble of “Raging Grannies.”
A national organization originally formed in Canada, this association has rapidly expanded throughout the United States. One member, Dory Witzeling, detailed the importance to participate in events to bring humor, whilst simultaneously showing that activism can take many forms.
“We want to inject some humor because it’s hard to stay positive when it feels like so many things have gone wrong,” said Witzeling. “From a lot of our points of view, the country has gone in a very wrong direction and in order to not become totally demoralized, you just have to find places to laugh. And that is what we are here for.”
The Raging Grannies sang three songs, displaying props, dance moves, and creative lyrics to popular songs with changed lyrics to call out state representatives for lack of engagement with consistent and the current state of domestic affairs. After the performance, gathered protestors moved to the edge of the Plaza to display their signs to passerby’s and/or vehicles.
Many signs were adorned with “END GERRYMANDERING” and “FAIR MAPS.” Several people came prepared with their own signs, whilst others took to holding banners toward the street. Joey Krause, a junior from Menasha High School, explained his involvement in politics and why he felt an urgency to help participate in the protest.
“It is good to care about things,” said Krause. “Politics is a part of everything and we need to care about it, otherwise we are not going to have a strong democracy in the future … gerrymandering kind of affects everything, in the end. It affects how you vote, the impact of your vote and who’s in office … I am here to help show that young people can be involved too.”
Emma Johnson is the Appleton Post-Crescent’s summer intern. Reach her at ejohnson@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Wisconsin voters push for fair election maps in Appleton rally
Reporting by Emma Johnson, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Emma Johnson, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
