Wisconsin has fair legislative maps right now. But there's no guarantee they stay that way. In 2031, after the next census, the maps get redrawn. And whoever controls the legislature and the governor's office at that moment will decide how it's done.

That means every race this November — from governor to state Assembly — will determine whether the next decade of maps is fair or gerrymandered. Governor Evers isn't running again. The next governor will hold the veto pen. And the legislature will either pass redistricting reform or protect the status quo. Remember — nobody was paying attention to these races in 2010, and we got a decade of gerrymandering.

So when candidates knock on your door this fall, ask them one question: do you support an independent redistricting commission? If they dodge it, you have your answer.

The next ten years of representation are on the ballot this November. Pay attention.

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The 2030 census triggers redistricting in 2031. The Wisconsin Constitution requires the legislature to redistrict in the first session following each census. Whoever controls the legislature and the governor's office at that moment decides how it's done.

Current fair maps aren't permanent. The maps signed by Governor Evers in February 2024 were ordered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court (Clarke v. WEC, December 2023). But the process hasn't changed — the legislature still draws the maps. Without a constitutional amendment establishing an independent commission, the next trifecta government can gerrymander again.

Governor Evers is not running again. He announced in July 2025 that he would not seek reelection in 2026. The next governor will hold the veto pen over any redistricting legislation — and over the maps themselves when they're redrawn after 2030.

What's on the ballot in November 2026: All 99 Assembly seats and half the Senate seats. Under the new fair maps, Democrats have a realistic shot at winning one or both chambers (currently 54R-45D in the Assembly, 18R-15D in the Senate). The outcome will determine who draws the 2031 maps — or whether an independent commission draws them instead.

Neither party has clean hands. Democrats held a trifecta in 2009-2010 and didn't pass redistricting reform. Republicans gerrymandered aggressively in 2011 and 2021. The lesson: process reform, not party control, is the only lasting solution.

The question to ask every candidate: "Do you support an independent redistricting commission?" If they dodge it, that tells you what they plan to do with the power once they have it.

The Fair Maps Coalition's plan aims to have an independent redistricting commission established before 2031. Phase 2 (legislative advocacy) is underway. Visit fairmapswi.com.

Related Civic Minute segments: The People Already Agree (CM-9), Get in the Fight (CM-19), The Special Session (CM-11), What Gerrymandering Is (CM-7)