WAUWATOSA, Wisc. — The 14th District, which is home to a large part of Wauwatosa, is one of the areas that would be impacted if the Wisconsin Supreme Court rules in favor of redistricting and potentially throwing out the state’s current voting maps and drawing new ones.
“On the one hand, you might be in a different district than you currently are. You might have a different incumbent than you currently do in the state assembly or the state senate. It also means if these maps are thrown out that we might have truly competitive state legislative elections,” said John Johnson, Marquette Research Fellow.
Wauwatosa Democrat Stephen Rothe says that as it stands, there's a disconnect between what some voters may believe and who is actually representing them.
“We've known for a number of years now that roughly the state is 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans but yet the legislature's almost two-thirds Republicans, so something is amiss,” said Rothe.
For Wauwatosa Republican Sarah Rosecky, living in what she calls a purple state means hearing about how our voting maps can really make a difference depending on where you live.
“I feel like both parties use it, either to their advantage or to the disadvantage of the other one. So, it can be tough as a voter because you don't have as much say in it. Those decisions kind of get made without us being as involved,” said Rosecky.
For voters in the 14th District, hearing about redistricting is already a concern now that they’re trying to focus on what may come in next year’s election.
“The map shouldn't move when the people change in those areas, necessarily. I think it needs to just be an area and stay an area. They shouldn't just keep moving dividers,” said Wauwatosa Democrat Kathy Rothe.
“People want to see their communities come together and so I feel like that kind of causes issues in bringing people together and agreeing on things,” said Rosecky.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.