MADISON — SEIU Wisconsin members, Latino leaders with Voces de la Frontera Action and local allies will rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday to support Wisconsin’s independent judiciary and to demand that lawmakers fervently oppose the passage of SB488, which would entrench in the extreme, gerrymandered State Legislature the power to decide how the state’s voting maps are drawn.
National voting rights organizations, including The Brennan Center for Justice, have described SB488 as a “concerning” bill which “deviates from most other recent redistricting reforms in that it contains no state-level protections for communities of color.”
At the rally, workers with SEIU and Latino leaders with Voces will discuss how local GOP extremists are fast-tracking this redistricting bill that would allow the Wisconsin Legislature to hold all the power in deciding how local voting maps are drawn. Rallying voters will call on lawmakers to oppose the bill, declaring it a power-grab and a clear subversion of democracy that could permanently change the process for drawing Wisconsin state maps in ways detrimental to countless communities.
Attempts to rush through SB488 come as Wisconsin Republicans continue to float the idea of impeaching newly seated Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Janet Protasiewicz — a proven champion for transparency and democracy in the state.
EVENT DETAILS
WHO: Service and care workers with SEIU Wisconsin, Voces de la Frontera, Local allies
WHAT: Rally against SB488, march to Speaker Robin Vos’ office to deliver signed letters opposing recent anti-democratic actions of the Legislature
WHEN: 3:30pm CT, Tuesday, October 24, 2023
WHERE: State Capitol Building, Rotunda
2 E Main St, Madison, WI 53703
VISUALS: Participants marching, chanting, carrying giant letters that read ‘VOTERS DECIDE’ and signs stating ‘SB488 = Impeachment by Another Name’
Wisconsin voters have long advocated for an independent, nonpartisan process that moves redistricting outside the hands of the legislature. During the last redistricting process, 63% of Wisconsin voters said redistricting should be conducted by a nonpartisan commission, and voters in 32 counties have passed advisory referendums calling on legislators to create a nonpartisan process for redistricting. But with SB488, a handful of legislators are trying to fast-track this anti-democratic bill that would entrench legislative control over the redistricting process.
For decades, Wisconsin voters have rallied up and down the state to assert that voters – not greedy or power hungry politicians – decide the fate of elections across the Badger State. They will continue to do so until the vote of every Wisconsite is assured.