Brookfield Special Session Will Vote On Redistricting Resolution

BROOKFIELD, WI — Two Brookfield aldermen are pushing a resolution for nonpartisan redistricting after listening to local residents.

The Brookfield Legislative and Licensing Committee will meet Tuesday to vote on a nonbinding resolution to urge the State Legislature to create a nonpartisan panel for redistricting voting maps.

The resolution is intended to affirm residents’ support of a statewide, nonpartisan redistricting process, according to the agenda. It insists that the Wisconsin Legislature pass a nonpartisan procedure for legislative redistricting and supports an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution to give redistricting responsibility to a nonpartisan commission, it added.

If the committee votes for the resolution, it will be discussed by the Common Council afterward, co-author Alderman Brad Blumer told Patch. The vote is meant to respond to residents who have brought up the issue at recent Common Council meetings, Blumer said.

“This is something that came up from an inquiry on their part and snowballed into this resolution with support from Brookfield residents,” Blumer said. Lacking natural representative districts based on Census data leaves lopsided representation, even in cities such as Brookfield, he added.

Alderman Mike Hallquist, the other author of the resolution, offered his support. “Overall, I think it’s quite clear there is a legitimate interest in our Common Council to weigh in on this issue on behalf of our residents,” he said in the agenda.

The resolution is being made in August because it best fits the current time frame, Blumer said.

August is the latest date to create municipal voting wards, according to a timeline from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign website. Legislative redistricting based on wards will start in November, the website added.

Census data for redistricting this year will be released in August due to delays caused by the pandemic and data "anomalies," the National Conference of State Legislatures wrote in an article.