New Ward And Aldermanic District Maps In City Of Wauwatosa

Wauwatosa WI

21 November, 2021

6:31 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Wauwatosa: November 15, 2021 Learn about Wauwatosa's redistricting process What is redistricting? Every ten years, Wauwatosa, along with all other governments in the United States, is required to update its legislative districts based on the results of the decennial Census. As population changes and people move throughout the country, they do not do so evenly. In order to ensure equal representation for all residents, the legislative districts are redrawn so that there is a roughly equal population in each district. Although redistricting is required by the Constitution, each state sets its own guidelines for the process that must be followed. How were Wauwatosa's New Maps Drawn? In August 2021, the Common Council adopted a resolution that authorizes the use of the Milwaukee County Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) to create the wards and districts. Using data provided by the City and in partnership with the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), IRC created new ward and district maps for consideration by the City. Wards must be created based on Census blocks, which are the individual areas that are counted by the Census Bureau. Blocks vary in shape, size, and population, so each ward contains multiple tracts. While Census blocks do not align perfectly with neighborhood or school boundaries, IRC/SEWRPC take care to keep neighborhoods and schools together within Aldermanic districts as much as possible. View Wauwatosa's new aldermanic district map, or see a side-by-side view of our current and new maps. The new maps would be effective on April 19, 2022. How will the new maps affect residents and the council? Some residents will be in different wards and/or districts than they are currently. This will affect where they need to go for voting and may potentially change who represents them on the Common Council. The IRC did not consider incumbency in the creation of the new maps. Any alders who no longer live in the district they represent will remain in office through the end of their current term. Will the new maps affect school or neighborhood association boundaries? No. The ward and aldermanic maps do not impact school boundaries or neighborhood associations. This press release was produced by the City of Wauwatosa. The views expressed here are the author's own.