AB 415

Currently, under the state constitution, the legislature is directed to redistrict

legislative districts according to the number of inhabitants at its next session

following each federal decennial census. Under current state law, following each

federal decennial census, most municipalities are also required to divide their

territory into wards. With limited exceptions, wards are required to consist of one

or more whole, contiguous census blocks (the smallest geographic units for which

census results are available). Traditionally, the legislature has used municipal

wards to construct legislative districts, although the legislature may adjust the

boundaries of a municipal ward and use the revised ward boundaries instead.

Legislative redistricting plans enacted pursuant to this procedure are used to elect

members of the legislature in the fall of the second year following the year of the

census.

This bill creates a new procedure for the preparation of legislative redistricting

plans. The bill directs the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to draw redistricting

plans based upon standards specified in the bill and establishes a redistricting

advisory commission to perform certain tasks in the redistricting process. The bill

also makes various other changes to the laws governing redistricting. Significant

aspects of the bill include the following:

Redistricting standards

Under the bill, a redistricting plan drawn by the LRB must satisfy several

criteria, including the following:

1. The plan must be based on population requirements imposed under the

Wisconsin Constitution and the U.S. Constitution and requirements imposed under

the federal Voting Rights Act, which, among other things, generally prohibits

redistricting plans from abridging the right to vote on account of race or color or

because a person is a member of a language minority group.

2. The senate and assembly districts established in the plan must satisfy equal

population standards specified in the bill.

3. District boundaries under the plan must coincide with municipal ward

boundaries and, to the extent consistent with the Wisconsin Constitution, the U.S.

Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act, must coincide with the boundaries of

political subdivisions. The number of political subdivisions divided among more

than one district must be as small as possible and must preserve the communities

of interest.

4. Districts must be composed of convenient contiguous territory. Under the

bill, areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous.

5. To the extent consistent with the requirements described in items 1 to 3,

districts must be compact. The bill also specifies how compactness is to be measured.

6. In preparing the plan, the LRB must be strictly nonpartisan. No district may

be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party, incumbent legislator, or other