Washington, D.C. — In this week’s Democratic primaries, the vast majority of state legislative districts that changed in the direction of fairness saw increased voter participation compared to the 2022 Democratic primaries. The current maps were enacted earlier this year following a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court that struck down the Badger State’s legislative gerrymanders.

New, fairer districts in Winnebago, Outagamie, La Crosse, Iowa, Sheboygan, and Racine counties, saw votes cast increase by well over 50 percent on Tuesday compared to 2022. More specifically, in Winnebago and Outagamie counties, where an additional Democratic Assembly seat was drawn to accurately reflect the voting population, turnout increased by 59 percent in Outagamie County and by nearly 64 percent in Winnebago County. 

“Wisconsin’s election results show that when the maps are fair voters are more likely to engage at the ballot box—and that’s a win for democracy,” said John Bisognano, President of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC). “The significant rise in voter turnout on the new fair maps stands in stark contrast to the suppressed voter participation under Scott Walker’s and Robin Vos’ gerrymanders, and that demonstrates the power of fairness. Now, with a more representative democracy, Wisconsinites are showing that they refuse to go back to the era of egregious gerrymanders.”

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