The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin

04/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/17/2026 11:40

Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Doubles Down on Call to End Partisan Gerrymandering For Good

Press Release: Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Doubles Down on Call to End Partisan Gerrymandering For Good

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 04/17/2026 12:29 PM CDT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Doubles Down on Call to End Partisan Gerrymandering For Good
Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address, doubling down on his call to end partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin once and for all. This comes as, earlier this week, Republicans in the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate indicated they plan to leave Gov. Evers' special session call to ban partisan gerrymandering in the state open indefinitely, providing no indication of why they are refusing to vote to add a straight-up ban on partisan gerrymandering to the state constitution.

Gov. Evers last month, as promised during his 2026 State of the State address, called the Wisconsin State Legislature into a special session that was set to convene at noon on Tuesday, April 14, urging lawmakers to take up a constitutional amendment banning partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Wisconsinites and Americans have watched in recent months as President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration have pressured Republican Legislatures across the country into passing maps that are rigged to benefit Republicans, forcing Democratic Legislatures in other states to respond by attempting to restore balance to national elections.

Since the governor's special session announcement, Republican and Democratic lawmakers had expressed reservations about the governor's effort to ban the practice, with each party hedging for the potential that, by securing legislative majorities, they can retain the power to draw the state's maps in favor of their political party. Similar sentiment prior to the 2010 U.S. Census being conducted resulted in a decade of Wisconsinites living under some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America until it was remedied in 2024 when Gov. Evers signed fair maps into law.

With no ban on partisan gerrymandering and no nonpartisan and independent redistricting process permanently in place, Wisconsinites could see a return to partisan map rigging just years after Gov. Evers enacted fair maps, which ushered in a historic era of bipartisan work and accomplishments in the battleground swing state, including a bipartisan state budget, a comprehensive plan to fight PFAS statewide, expanding postpartum coverage for new moms, and ensuring eligible Dreamers can receive credentials for certain occupations, among other key legislative accomplishments.

A transcript of the governor's radio address is below.

Hey there, folks! Governor Tony Evers here.

This week, I called a special session of the Legislature to ban partisan gerrymandering in our state once and for all.

Unfortunately, so far, lawmakers have failed to get it done.

Folks, rigging maps so that one political party stays in power is wrong. It's anti-democratic, and it's un-American.

And my message is clear: there's nothing to negotiate because there's no room for compromise when it comes to making sure Wisconsinites' voices matter, and their votes count.

If we don't get a ban on partisan gerrymandering put in Wisconsin's constitution, lawmakers will never be forced to create the independent and nonpartisan redistricting process Wisconsinites deserve.

And the decision couldn't be any easier, lawmakers either want to ban partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin or they don't. It's that simple.

If lawmakers fail to take a public vote on this basic question, then Wisconsinites have no choice but to assume their lawmaker's position on this issue.

Folks, fair maps work. Thanks to the fair legislative maps I signed into law two years ago, we've passed a bipartisan, pro-kid budget that invested in our K-12 kids and schools, lowered child care costs for working families, and made the largest investment in our UW System in nearly two decades.

And we've worked together to release funding to fight PFAS statewide, expand postpartum coverage for new moms, ensure Wisconsin women can get the preventative care they need, and help Dreamers get their professional license to support our workforce.

Fair maps made bipartisanship possible. Wisconsin cannot go back to having some of the most gerrymandered legislative maps in America.

While Wisconsin has fair legislative maps today, without a basic ban on partisan gerrymandering, there's no guarantee Wisconsinites will still have fair legislative maps after the next U.S. Census, especially after I am no longer governor.

This is just too darn important, folks. We have to ban partisan gerrymandering once and for all in Wisconsin. Thank you.
An online version of this release is available here.
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Office of the Governor • 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702
Press Office Email: [email protected]
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The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin published this content on April 17, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 17, 2026 at 17:40 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]