Dear editor,

This April, you will see a referendum on your ballot about non-partisan redistricting, also known as “Fair Maps.” I hope you will vote yes to the proposal.

Does it matter to you that politicians get to choose their voters by gerrymandering the district lines, creating “safe” districts for themselves where they become unaccountable to their constituents? Don’t be fooled into thinking that having your favorite party in power is a guarantee that they will listen to you either; they can “rest on their laurels” and collect their pay, doing precious little to earn it.

When Democrats are in power, they do it and when Republicans are in power, they do it.

We the People, in the middle are taken for a ride. It is just bad governance, and we all suffer because of it.

Not every State does it this way. Iowa, for example, has a separate commission and that commission (independently of the party in power at the time) draws the maps. As a result, every vote is important and the citizens are happy. Legislators on both sides become more responsive to the demands of the public. There are no expensive lawsuits to contest an election.

Demand to be listened to. Demand to be heard. Demand non-partisan redistricting. Demand Fair Maps. Vote yes in April.

Cécile Stelzer Johnson

Wisconsin Rapids