CRAWFORD COUNTY - At their Tuesday, June 16 meeting, the Crawford County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously by voice vote to place a Fair Maps referendum on the ballot for the November 3, 2020 election.
Citizens voting in that election will be able to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following question:
“Should the Wisconsin legislature create a nonpartisan procedure for the preparation of legislative and congressional district plans and maps?”
Although the board voted unanimously to place the referendum on the ballot, there was discussion, and even an amendment.
One supervisor posed the question of whether the motivation to put this question before the board had come from “one political party?”
Supervisor Mary Kuhn took exception to some of the information the board was provided about the referendum, in which it was stated that “when one party is allowed to draw the election district maps, that is commonly known as gerrymandering.”
Kuhn said that if that language were to be presented along with the referendum, “it could color the question.” She said that she found the language to be judgmental.
Supervisor Brad Steiner moved to amend the motion to state that the language Kuhn objected to not appear anywhere on the ballot. The amendment passed unanimously by voice vote.
Another supervisor asked County Clerk Janet Geisler if there would be a cost to the county to include the referendum on the ballot.
Geisler responded that there would be a printing cost, but that it would be small.
Supervisor Don Stirling spoke for passage of the question he had put before the board, stating that “now is a good time to put a fair redistricting plan in place because the state has divided government.”
