Every ten years, after the census, Wisconsin's legislative districts get redrawn to reflect where people live. And in Wisconsin, the politicians in power draw those lines. Think about that. The people who benefit from the maps are the same people drawing them.

In 2011, Republicans controlled the legislature and the governor's office, and they drew maps that locked in their advantage for over a decade. In 2023, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down those state legislative maps and new, fairer ones were drawn. The results were immediate — in 2024, fourteen seats flipped, and both parties actually had to compete for control.

But here's the thing. The court only fixed the state legislative maps. Wisconsin's congressional district maps, for the US Congress, are still based on that same 2011 gerrymander. Those congressional maps aren't changing before this November. And as long as politicians draw their own maps, this cycle repeats every ten years.

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How redistricting works in Wisconsin: Every ten years, after the census, legislative districts are redrawn. In Wisconsin, the legislature draws the maps and the governor signs or vetoes them. Whichever party controls both has enormous power to shape elections for the next decade.

The 2011 maps were drawn by Republican legislative staff in secret, with the assistance of a private law firm. Democratic legislators were given no input. The maps locked in a Republican supermajority even in years when Democrats won more total votes statewide. (Wisconsin Watch / WPR)

The 2023 court ruling: In Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission (December 2023), the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state legislative maps as unconstitutional. Governor Evers signed new maps in February 2024.

The 2024 results were immediate. Under the new maps, Democrats flipped 10 Assembly seats and 4 Senate seats. The Assembly went from 64R-34D to 54R-45D. For the first time in over a decade, both parties had to genuinely compete for legislative control.

Congressional maps are still gerrymandered. Wisconsin's eight U.S. House districts were redrawn in 2022 after the 2020 Census, but the then-conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted Governor Evers' proposed maps using a "least changes" approach that largely preserved the 2011 district structure. The result: Republicans hold six of eight seats in a state that's roughly 50-50 statewide. In 2024, Trump won the state by less than 1 point, but Republicans won 75% of the congressional delegation. Democrats hold what advocates call the "lowest mathematically possible" number of seats given the state's voter distribution. (Wisconsin Independent; Wisconsin Watch; Law Forward; PBS News)

The lawsuits have largely failed — for now. One lawsuit (Bothfield v. WEC) was dismissed by a three-judge panel on March 31, 2026 — the panel ruled it lacked authority to overrule the Supreme Court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court separately declined to hear a direct challenge in June 2025. A second lawsuit by Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy is expected to go to trial in 2027. No new congressional maps before the 2026 elections. (WPR; Wisconsin Examiner; Wisconsin Watch)

The deeper problem: As long as politicians draw their own maps, this cycle repeats every ten years. Advocates like Law Forward and the Fair Maps Coalition push for an independent redistricting commission to take map-drawing out of politicians' hands.

General gerrymandering resources: See CM-5 (Packing and Cracking) for links to PlanScore, Princeton Gerrymandering Project, MIT Election Data + Science Lab, Brennan Center, and Dave's Redistricting App.

Related Civic Minute segments: Packing and Cracking (CM-5), The Sheboygan Story (CM-6), Competition (CM-8), The People Already Agree (CM-9)