The Wisconsin State Legislature passed new maps. It's a bit discombobulating.

Breaking down a dizzying, but potentially incredibly important, day in Wisconsin politics.

The Recombobulation Area is a ten-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication written, edited and published by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.

Screenshot of Tony Evers’ proposed map submission for the State Assembly, as seen in the governor’s official proposal presented on Dave’s Redistricting App.

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Note for readers: The original version of this story was published last night. But because it did not send to our full email list, we are reposting the story here. Apologies to those of you who received redundant emails. You can revisit that original story and join the discussion thread here. This story has also been updated with minor copy-editing changes and one additional quote.

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Yesterday in Wisconsin, the Republican-controlled State Senate and State Assembly passed a bill with new maps for the state legislature. These maps were proposed by the Democratic governor, but the bill largely passed with Republican votes. 

Frankly, this is all a bit discombobulating. We’re still trying to figure out what all of this means. 

But here’s what just happened.

Yesterday morning in the State Senate, Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu proposed a substitute amendment to a redistricting bill, Senate Bill 488. That substitute amendment (which essentially wipes out what was previously in the bill) included the state legislative maps proposed by Gov. Tony Evers in the Wisconsin Supreme Court-ordered process for new maps. (Before you ask, a Legislative Reference Bureau memo confirmed that the maps in the substitute amendment are “identical in all respects” to the Evers proposal.) 

Once this was introduced in the Senate’s planned floor session, Democrats proposed another amendment to refer the bill to committee, which failed on a party line vote. 

However, State Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) highlighted key language in the bill that would refer to special and recall elections. This is relevant because a State Senate seat is currently open (after Lena Taylor was appointed to Milwaukee Circuit Court), and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is potentially facing a recall. 

Here is a screenshot of that language from the substitute amendment.

Nevertheless, the bill passed in the State Senate with an 18 to 14 vote.

In the final tally, one Democrat (Robert Wirch, D-Somers) voted in favor of the bill, joining 17 of the chamber’s 22 Republicans. The five Republican senators to join nine Democrats voting against were: Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan), Julian Bradley (R-Franklin), André Jacque (R-DePere), Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), and Eric Wimberger (R-Green Bay). 

Once the bill passed, Assembly leadership added it to their floor session agenda, where, after a lone speech from Vos, it passed 63-33, with one Democrat (Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, D-Milwaukee) voting with the Republican majority. 

Now, the bill heads to Gov. Tony Evers, who has said he would sign his map proposal, if there were no changes. His spokesperson reiterated that position in a post on Twitter. 

So the big question is now: Should the governor sign the bill?