Democratic state Senator Dave Hansen renewed his fight for redistricting reform on Tuesday with more Republicans on board including local Assembly member Joel Kitchens. Sen. Hansen has brought up a redistricting reform bill every two years since 2012. He would like the state to adopt a non-partisan approach similar to what is already being done in Iowa. Senator Hansen believes more legislators should listen to what their constituents are saying.
Rep. Kitchens, who joined fellow Republican Assembly members Todd Novak and Travis Tranel in supporting the bill, could not be reached for comment. Governor Tony Evers included a provision for redistricting reform in his version of the 2019-2021 budget, but it was taken out by the Joint Finance Committee.