MADISON – The People’s Maps Commission is holding an online public hearing 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, to seek public input on the upcoming redrawing of legislative redistricting maps.
The hearing is the first in a series of at least eight meetings the Commission will host. The focus of the hearing will be Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District and highlight redistricting basics including why redistricting matters and how it works.
The online public hearing will include testimony from experts and also provide Wisconsinites the opportunity to express how they have been impacted by legislative redistricting and share their ideas for how Wisconsin can work together to achieve fair maps.
Every 10 years, each state redraws their legislative and congressional districts using data from the decennial census. In addition to the data from the 2020 U.S. Census, the Commission will use information gathered during the public hearing process to prepare new maps. It is then up to the Legislature to take up and approve the maps created by the Commission.
Although the Oct. 1 hearing will focus on the Eighth Congressional District, all Wisconsin residents are encouraged to watch and participate. Anyone wishing to testify at the hearing must register in advance by visiting the People’s Maps Commission website HERE. The deadline for remote public appearance requests for the October hearing is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020.
Remote public testimony will begin at 7:30 p.m. Each speaker has a time limit of 3 minutes. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, with residents of Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District being given priority.
For anyone unable to join online, written comments are strongly encouraged. All written comments also can be submitted at any time using the feedback form available on the People’s Maps Commission website HERE. Written comments will be reviewed by the commissioners and are public record.
Selected by a three judge panel, the Commission is a nine-member nonpartisan redistricting commission charged with drawing fair, impartial maps for the state of Wisconsin. More information about the Commission, its members and its activities is available HERE.
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the People’s Maps Commission will host the public hearings online for each of Wisconsin’s congressional districts. Agendas and additional details will be announced in advance of future meeting dates. The hearing dates are as follows:
- 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, 8th Congressional District
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, 5th Congressional District
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, 3rd Congressional District
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, 4th Congressional District
- January hearing date TBD, 7th Congressional District
- February hearing date TBD, 1st Congressional District
- March hearing date TBD, 6th Congressional District
- April hearing date TBD, 2nd Congressional District
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Author: News Desk
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