The following column reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are not endorsed or supported by WisOpinion.com.
Significant progress has been made in ending traffic congestion and restoring good government in Wisconsin.
Since Democrat Tony Evers defeated Republican Scott Walker in 2018, the state no longer has a form of government that fits the dictionary definition of an oligarchy, meaning that one or a few people control the state and its resources. There is no form that governs the Also, during the Evers era, and especially since his reelection, my research shows that partisan voting has become less strict in Republican-led Congresses, as Evers vetoed a record number of bills, most of which were “oligarchs.'' Bills and party-line votes show an increase in bipartisan legislation. invoice.
The next step is redistricting, which should bring more members from battleground districts and determine tight margins in both chambers.
With more battleground districts and narrower margins in Congress and the Senate, Wisconsin could return to the era of good government I saw in the 1960s.
My extensive research into Wisconsin state legislative voting over the decades shows that we are currently in an era of divided government, similar to the first decade of the 2000s. Then came an era of oligarchy, where Republicans took complete control of the statehouse, from the Supreme Court to the Governor's office to the Legislature. However, going back to the 1960s, my research shows that Wisconsin is a true representative democracy.
With the exception of Republican Governor Warren Knowles' 1966-1968 term, neither political party controlled both the executive and legislative branches of government, and legislative leaders had less control over members' votes than they do today. There was no tendency to do so.
The state Supreme Court was also more removed from politics, and the quality of its decisions was widely praised. This may be due to the repeated existence of five coalition governments that transcend party lines and represent different combinations of regional, economic, and cultural values and interests. These are: Fox Valley Republicans (social and fiscal conservatives); Out-of-state Republican (business owner). Blue-collar Democrats (Milwaukee and Portage County residents). Out-of-state Democrats (teachers, health care workers, local government employees). Research-oriented academic liberals (Dane County and University Cities). Members of all five groups voted independently, across party lines, if they deemed it necessary. Under this system, Wisconsin became known for its high-quality policy debates.
Partisans are talking about win-or-lose redistricting, preserving control of Congress, or taking back this chamber or that chamber.
But for the rest of us, this redistricting could throw us back to an era of good government not seen in decades.
This is a good reason to vote this August and November.
-Jacob Stampen is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Madison.. Stampen is the author of Voting Behavior in the Wisconsin State Legislature 2003 to 2022.
