CASE AND THEN RULE ON THAT CASE. >> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS HAS UNTIL
NEXT TUESDAY TO DECIDE WHETHER TO VETO HIS OWN MAPS.
HE HAS SAID HE WILL SIGN THEM INTO LAW, BUT MANY FELLOW
DEMOCRATS SEE THE LEGISLATURE'S MOVE TO PASS EVERS' MAPS AS A
TRICK. AMONG THEM, DEMOCRATIC STATE
SENATOR MARK SPREITZER. SENATOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE. >> SO ARE YOU AMONG THOSE WHO
WANTED THE GOVERNOR TO VETO HIS OWN MAPS AND HOLD OUT FOR THE
SUPREME COURT'S CHOICE? >> I TRUST THEM TO MAKE THIS
DECISION AND TO CONSULT WITH HIS LAWYERS AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE
BEST PATH TO FAIR MAPS IS. OBVIOUSLY, HIS MAP IS ONE OF
FOUR FAIR MAPS THAT ARE PENDING BEFORE THE STATE SUPREME COURT.
I DO TRUST THE STATE SUPREME COURT TO MAKE THE DECISION ON
WHAT THE BEST MAP IS, WHETHER THAT'S ONE OF THESE FOR OR
WHETHER TO MAKE ANY TWEAKS OR ANYTHING TO ANY OF THOSE MAPS.
I ALSO TRUSS GOVERNOR EVERS TO DECIDE IF SIGNING THIS MAP IS
THE BEST PATH TO GET FAIR MAPS THAT WE CAN ALL HAVE GOING
FORWARD. ACTUALLY CAME BEFORE THE STATE
ASSEMBLY AND THE STATE SENATE TO VOTE ON, THAT ALTHOUGH IT WAS A
CLEAN VERSION OF THE GOVERNOR'S MAP, WE HAD A QUESTION ABOUT
WHETHER THE BILL ITSELF WAS A CLEAN BILL BECAUSE IT DOESN'T
CAUSE THE MAP TO TAKE EFFECT UNTIL THIS FALL'S ELECTION.
AND RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A MAP THAT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, THAT
THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT HAS SAID CAN'T BE USED FOR ANY
FUTURE ELECTIONS AND THERE'S A RECALL EFFORT AGAINST SPEAKER
ROBIN VOS, THERE'S A SPECIAL ELECTION THAT'S NEEDED IN THE
FOURTH SENATE DISTRICT, AND SO THERE'S SOME UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS IF THIS BILL IS SIGNED INTO LAW ABOUT WHAT MAP THOSE
ELECTIONS ARE HELD ON AND WHAT MAP EXISTS BETWEEN NOW AND
NOVEMBER. THOSE QUESTIONS COULD BE
ANSWERED BY GOING BACK TO THE STATE SUPREME COURT AND TRYING
TO GET CLARITY, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK GOVERNOR EVERS
NEEDS TO LOOK AT AS HE'S MAKING THIS DECISION, AND THEN WE ALSO
JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NOT ANY REPUBLICAN
TRICKS THAT WOULD SOMEHOW MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO CHOOSE
WHAT COURT TO APPEAL TO AND MAYBE GET A CONSERVATIVE FEDERAL
COURT TO INTERVENE HERE AND STOP US FROM HAVING FAIR MAPS.
THOSE ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ON MY MIND AND THAT I HOPE
ARE ON GOVERNOR EVERS' MIND AS HE MAKES THIS DECISION.
>> SO ON THOSE TWO POINTS, DOES IT MATTER TO YOU AT ALL THAT THE
LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU REPORTS THAT IT ADDED THE
LANGUAGE TO THE BILL SAYING THE MAPS WOULD FIRST TAKE EFFECT FOR
THE NOVEMBER 2024 ELECTION? >> I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION OF
INTENT AND THERE'S A QUESTION OF EFFECT.
SO I TAKE THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU AT ITS WORD
THAT THEY ADDED THAT LANGUAGE AND WEREN'T DIRECTED TO ADD IT
FOR ANY POLITICAL PURPOSE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT
DOESN'T HAVE A POLITICAL OUTCOME, AND I THINK IT STILL
LEAVES OPEN THE QUESTION OF WHAT MAPS SAY THE VOS RECALL SHOULD
BE HELD ON AND ANY FUTURE SPECIAL ELECTIONS AND LRB IS
SAID THAT THIS IS SORT OF THE NORMAL PROCEDURE, BUT WE'RE NOT
IN NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES. WE NORMALLIANT DOING A
REDISTRICTING PROCESS MID-DECADE BECAUSE THE STATE SUPREME COURT
HAS FOUND THE EXISTING MAP TO BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, SO I THINK
THERE'S STILL SOME QUESTIONS BLTHERE AND ONE OF THE THINGS TT
CEMENTED MY "NO" VOTE WAS THAT EVEN THOUGH REPUBLICANS
ANNOUNCED THE WEEK BEFORE THEIR INTENTION TO VOTE ON THIS MAP,
THEY DIDN'T ACTUALLY PUT THE AMENDMENT OUT TO THE PUBLIC OR
TO LEGISLATORS IN ADVANCE. THEY DIDN'T GO THROUGH THE
NORMAL COMMITTEE PROCESS. I'M THE TOP DEMOCRAT ON THE
COMMITTEE THAT THIS UNDERLINED BILL WAS IN AND NORMALLY WE
WOULD VOTE IN COMMITTEE AND MAYBE ADOPT THE AMENDMENT WITH
THE MAPS IN COMMITTEE, BUT INSTEAD THE BILL WAS PULLED OUT
OF COMMITTEE WITHOUT A VOTE AT ALL AND WE DIDN'T GET THE
AMENDMENT THAT PUT THE GOVERNOR'S MAPS INTO PLACE UNTIL
WE WERE ACTUALLY ON THE SENATE FLOOR.
WEEKEND FOR THE PUBLIC TO LOOK AT AND FOR PEOPLE TO WEIGH IN,
BUT NO PUBLIC HEARING WAS HELD AND THIS WAS REALLY SOMETHING
THAT WAS DECIDED IN CLOSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS AND BROUGHT
FORWARD AT THE LAST MINUTE. AND MY QUESTION IS WHY.
IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO, WHY NOT JUST PUT IT OUT
FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE AND THEN WE COULD HAVE RAISED THESE
QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE. >> AS TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER
OR NOT THE PASSAGE OF THE GOVERNOR'S MAPS OPENS THE DOOR
TO FEDERAL LAWSUITS, SAY, SO MANY EXPERTS SAY THAT THAT IS
JUST NOT AT ALL LIKELY. >> I HAVE CERTAINLY HEARD FOLKS
SAYING THAT'S NOT LIKELY, AND I HOPE IT'S NOT LIKELY.
I HOPE THAT IF THIS IS THE MAP, THAT WE CAN ALL RUN ON IT AND
NOT RISK FURTHER LAWSUITS, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THEY ARE VERY
CREDIBLE LAWYERS, LIKE MARK AAHLIYAHIAS, WHO HAS WON
NUMEROUS CASES ON ELECTED-RELATED ISSUES AROUND
THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE RAISED CONCERNS HERE.
I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO HIM DIRECTLY, I'M NOT A
LAWYER, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO
TAKE THE CAUTIOUS APPROACH AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS IS
MOVING REALLY QUICKLY, WE DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS,
I'M GOING TO VOTE NO, BUT THE GOVERNOR HAS PLENTY OF LAWYERS
AROUND HIM THAT HE'S TALKING TO AND I TRUST THAT IF HE DECIDES
THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, HE'LL EITHER SIGN OR VETO THIS
ACCORDINGLY. BEGINNING AND REALLY WITH ONLY
ABOUT HALF A MINUTE LEFT, HOW SURPRISED WERE YOU THAT THE
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE TOOK UP AND PASSED THE EVERS MAPS?
>> I WAS SURPRISED. REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS JUST A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW TERRIBLE THESE MAPS
WERE, BUT I THINK THEY ULTIMATELY DECIDED THAT THEY
WANT TO CONTROL THE PROCESS HERE AND CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY,
AND THAT'S ANOTHER REASON I VOTED NOW.
I DON'T THINK POLITICIANS SHOULD BE CHERRY-PICKING MAPS.
I THINK WISCONSINITES SHOULD BE PICKING THEY'RE ELECTED
OFFICIALS AND SO I DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN A POSITION OF DECIDING
WHICH MAP WAS BEST FOR POLITICAL REASONS.
THE COURT. THE COURT.