An Eau Claire rally Friday noon will be one of 16 held statewide in support of fair maps for the state’s new voting districts.
The local rally will be held outside the county courthouse, 721 Oxford Ave. Its goal is to let the courts know there is public concern over this issue, according to a press release from event organizers.
The responsibility for drawing the lines for Wisconsin’s new voting district maps is currently in the hands of the state Supreme Court.
One of the speakers at Friday’s rally will be Wendy Sue Johnson, an Eau Claire lawyer She was one of the plaintiffs in a 2017 suit against the state that unsuccessfully challenged the redistricting boundaries set up in .2011.
The press release said Friday’s rallies are part of an effort “to keep this issue in the public eye and let the courts know that we are watching.
“We expect courts to follow the law, and act in a nonpartisan manner when deciding which maps will determine representation in our state for the next decade. They should not be simply doing the bidding of partisan officials,” it added.
Statewide, the rallies are sponsored by the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, a group comprised of more than two dozen groups “working to fight partisan gerrymandering,” according to its website.
Its mission statement says it advocates for “an independent and nonpartisan redistricting method in Wisconsin,” and seeks ” to educate and engage the public in the process of adopting and implementing nonpartisan maps.”
Locally, Friday’s rally is sponsored by the Chippewa Valley League of Women Voters and is open to the public.