Last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court banned the use of most ballot drop boxes, in what many are saying is a further blow to democracy in the state. Since the 2020 election, Wisconsin Republicans have sought to further restrict access to voting, and this ruling is yet another roadblock making it harder for Wisconsinites to vote.
Over the last decade the power of that vote has also declined in the state of Wisconsin. Extreme gerrymandering has insulated many politicians from the ballot box, allowing them to ignore the wants and needs of the majority of voters. So what does that mean for issues that are popular among Wisconsin voters, like legalizing marijuana and access to abortion?
"I think on abortion law ..., on voting rights, on gun laws and on a lot of the things that voters want, they don't get them because of gerrymandering," David Daley, a gerrymandering expert and a senior fellow at FairVote, says.
With the Republican's all but guaranteed control over Wisconsin's Legislature, Daley points to Wisconsin Supreme Court elections and reelecting a Democratic governor with veto power as ways to make politicians more responsive to voters' needs.
As for a bigger solution to gerrymandering, he says there are no simple steps. "I think there is a reform path that we must go down as a nation. I think it involves enlarging and rebalancing the size of the U.S. Supreme Court," he says. "There are lots of ways you can do this in nonpartisan ways." Daley also points to a U.S. House based on proportional representation and reexamine the Electoral College.
Daley fears things are going to get worse before they get better. "You cannot out vote gerrymandering," he says.
