Retiring Guy's Digest: Cheating to win elections: Wisconsin GOP attempts to defend the indefensible use of cracking and packing in drawing legislative districts (Packing Oshkosh edition, part 2)

With a population of 66,816 and an average Assembly district containing 59,000 residents, the GOP was able to employ a 'sophisticated' approach in carving out the 54th with Exact-O knife precision.

Lori Palmeri (D-Oshkosh) was first elected to the Assembly in November 2022. She defeated her GOP opponent by 7.8 percentage points.

Headline: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/11/2023

Map: Wisconsin State Legislature (boxes added)

Somehow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tyler Katzenberger can write an article about legislative district without mentioning 'gerrymandering', 'packing', and 'cracking'.

It's called journalistic malpractice.

The UW Applied Population Lab defines 'cracking' as

drawing districts in such a way as to divide a concentration of specific types of voters across several districts such that they are a minority in each one, with practically no hope of achieving representation in any of the districts. This practice also helps make districts less competitive.

Th UW Applied Population Lab defines 'packing' as

the practice of drawing particular districts in such a way as to ensure that another party's candidate wins that seat by a tremendous margin. Although the opposing party is all but guaranteed the seat, packing makes surrounding districts less competitive, and thus tips the balance of power in the legislative body overall toward the ruling party.

Meet the leaders of the packing and cracking brigade!

Bad optics: Wisconsin Senate, Wisconsin Assem/bly

Wouldn't you rather have this diverse group in the majority?

Related reading:

League of Women Voters, July 2018

Winnebago County became the 40th Wisconsin county board to pass a resolution in favor of a fair maps process that's independent, nonpartisan, and transparent. That makes 55% of all counties––representing 68% of Wisconsinites––that have called on the state to pass a bill to create an independent, nonpartisan redistricting process for drawing our election maps. Wisconsinites are overwhelmingly united in ending partisan gerrymandering that puts party over people and politicians over voters.

Other posts in the series: