Tony Evers and Democrats said they wanted Iowa style redistricting. Then they rejected it.

For years on end, Wisconsin has been consumed by political and legal battles over redistricting and what our state legislative and federal congressional maps should look like. It would be an understatement to say that Democrats and Republicans haven’t exactly seen eye to eye on the matter.

Since 2021 when the U.S. Census Bureau delivered its apportionment counts for Wisconsin, our state has endured endless legal battles, new maps, re-drawn maps, tossed maps, and court-drawn maps. This is not a sustainable path for our state to continue on.

I have always firmly believed that it is the legislature’s duty to draw our electoral maps. Wisconsin’s elected legislators represent every corner of the state, and it’s important that our democratic system incorporates the voice of every Wisconsinite. That is something only the legislature can do; not the governor and certainly not the judiciary.

In our system of checks and balances, compromises are necessary, and it’s not fair to the people of Wisconsin to live in a state of political limbo, unclear which district they live in. This could lead to thousands of Wisconsin residents switching districts every other year, unable to depend on consistent representation. The constant battles have also been a drain on taxpayers and a continued standstill could cost millions more.

Iowa model a non-partisan way to restore confidence

That is why I recently proposed that we establish an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission to remove politics from the process, restore confidence in our state’s electoral system, and help our state move on from the bitter partisan battles of the past two years. Our neighboring state to the southwest, Iowa, has employed a nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission for many years and has had great success with this process. Countless Democrats and even our own governor, Tony Evers, have previously endorsed such a system.

'Iowa model' led to fair electoral maps: Would it work in Wisconsin?

In 2019, Evers proposed Wisconsin adopt the “Iowa Model” for redistricting for the 2022 elections. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel headline read in part, “Want to end gerrymandering in Wisconsin? Tony Evers says look to Iowa.” You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when he and his colleagues rejected our proposal to enact the very plan they originally endorsed.

If Evers is truly interested in resolving this issue, why won’t he take yes for an answer? And why did all Assembly Democrats but one vote no on the very proposal they authored, even after we made changes and adopted 7 amendments to address their new-found concerns? I sincerely doubt this is a simple change of heart; more likely, it appears the financial and political calculus has changed. Deep-pocketed donors have recently committed millions of dollars to advocating for judicial-drawn districts.

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices shouldn't draw maps

Consultants, lawyers, and the political class stand to make a lot of money by a drawn out fight. But this shouldn’t be about donors or politics. Wisconsin needs and deserves a resolution to this problem, ideally one decided by our legislative and executive branch, not the judiciary. That is why I proposed the Evers plan to adopt the Iowa model, an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission, that would be created by the legislature and the executive branch.

Partisan advantage: Robin Vos' change of heart doesn't mean he champions fair election maps for Wisconsin

In his 2019 budget address, Gov. Evers said “People should get to choose their elected officials.” Now, he and his political allies are advocating for state Supreme Court justices to draw our maps, instead of pursuing the more democratic and representative proposal he initially endorsed. We are simply calling on the governor to stick to his word, take yes for an answer, and work with us to help our state move forward.

The alternative, kicking the can down the road and continued instability, is untenable. Let’s embrace bipartisanship and cooperation so we can get back to the business of governing, from addressing the cost of living, to ensuring our kids have a quality education, and building a strong economy for all Wisconsinites.

Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Robin Vos: Assembly Democrats didn't even support a plan they promoted