Gov. Evers vetoes redistricting, gun sanctuary bills
MADISON, Wis. - Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a pair of Republican-authored bills Friday that would delay local redistricting efforts until 2023 and prohibit Wisconsin police from enforcing any future federal gun control laws.
State and local governments redraw their elected representatives' districts every 10 years to reflect population changes noted in the U.S. census.
Under current state law, counties have until July 1 to adopt tentative new boundaries for supervisors. After that's done, municipalities must draw new aldermanic districts within the next 60 days. When that's done, counties have to adopt their final supervisor districts within the next 60 days. Municipalities have another 60 days to adopt their new aldermanic districts.
The U.S. Census Bureau is required to deliver census data to the states for redistricting by March 31. But the pandemic has delayed those efforts and Wisconsin isn't expected to receive its information until August.
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The bill would give municipalities until spring of 2023 and most counties until spring 2024 to adopt their new boundaries.
Evers wrote in his veto message the bill would keep the current maps in place for the 2022 election cycle. The elections next year won't be fair because the districts won't reflect population changes, he said.
As for the gun bill, Evers said the measure is unconstitutional. State law cannot trump federal law, he said.
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