*Read the SCOWI Legislative Maps Update from LWVWI

Congressional districts and government legislative bodies should be apportioned substantially on population. We oppose partisan and racial gerrymandering that strips rights away from voters.

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IN SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE'S MAPS COMMISSION

The mission of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County is to empower voters and defend democracy. Fundamental to a functioning democracy is citizens' right to vote -- the ability of citizens to choose their elected representatives through fair elections. Elected representatives cannot rightfully claim to have the consent of the governed when gerrymandered maps skew election results and thwart voters' ability to choose their representatives.

We've seen the effects of a gerrymandered legislature: a more polarized, less collaborative governing body; legislators who work to appease a narrow base of constituents, rather than serving a broader swath of their constituents; legislation that serves special interests rather than the public interest.

Our society faces a great many critical problems, and none can be remedied if citizens' voices are muted by elections based on noncompetitive district maps. Until this flaw is remedied, via maps drawn by an independent body in a transparent way that allows for citizen input, we will not have a government that truly represents its citizens.