Every 10 years, following the census, local, state and federal voting wards are redrawn. Redistricting has been a contentious political issue since the practice began because of gerrymandering, which is where the district lines are drawn specifically to include or exclude certain groups (which then determine the outcome of the election). Anti-gerrymandering laws have gone a long way in stopping the most egregious abuses of redistricting, but concerns do still remain about making districts fair and representative.
Since the results of the 2010 census came out not too long ago, Madison is currently redrawing the alder districts for the city. The Ad Hoc Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee is responsible for proposing the new districts.
There are currently 20 aldermanic wards in Madison, and the AHRRC doesn’t want to change that. But, Madison’s population has grown in the past 10 years, and it has also moved around. So, the wards would be moving as well. The AHRRC has only offered a preliminary redistricted map, so nothing is set in stone yet, but the final changes could have a significant impact on students.
Right now, the districts with high numbers of students are districts 4 and 8, with significant numbers in 2, 5, and 13 as well. Under the proposed changes, those districts would shift, and students would pretty much be concentrated in district 8. Scott Resnick just won the election for District 8, and he will serve as a strong voice for students as alder. However, one vote on a board of 20 isn’t necessarily going to get a whole lot done. But having five alders who need to accommodate students’ demands becomes a much more formidable force. Don’t worry, I know that five is not a majority of 20, but if you have a quarter of the board pushing for a certain policy, if the policy isn’t horrendous and at least some of them are persuasive, then you can get six others to vote your way.
This is important for students. It may be easy to ignore city politics – especially when other levels of government are dealing with such interesting and contentious issues, but city policy is actually really relevant to students. The city has ordinances dealing with everything from alcohol sales to public health to breaking sidewalks. And a lot of these ordinances deal with landlord-tenant issues that become increasingly important as students move off-campus. But really, knowing that it’s illegal to break a sidewalk is pretty important for everyone, no matter where you live. And since we were just accorded the dubious honor of being named the sixth-best party school by Playboy, alcohol policy is obviously relevant to a large portion of the student body.
It’s hard enough to get elected officials to listen to the student voice because students are notorious for low voter turnout. So when students want their representatives to push for a certain policy, if that policy is unpopular with other groups, then it’s probably not going to get passed, because that official can’t count on students turning out to support them electorally.
It may be somewhat disappointing at times, but it is undeniable that elected officials are acutely aware of the electoral repercussions of their actions and evaluate positions with those consequences in mind. Students should be more involved in local politics, but expecting high, sustained levels of involvement is probably unrealistic. Having more alders specifically concerned with student issues will mean those issues gain greater prominence in front of the City Council, and those policies that will benefit students the most will have greater support.
This isn’t to say alders coming from districts without large student populations will push for ‘anti-student’ legislation, it just means that there will be fewer alders pushing the student agenda onto the council’s agenda, meaning the issues most pertinent to us will come up less often.
The City Council has expressed some concern with the AHRRC’s first proposal because of what it would do to student representation and its potential effects on other groups. But students should get involved in this process as well. There are other ways the lines could be drawn to maintain a greater student presence on the council. The world of city politics may not always seem like the most exciting place – especially when finals are coming up, and Memorial Library is your world – but they are certainly relevant, and can have a huge impact on “real life.”
Elise Swanson ([email protected]) is a second year majoring in Political Science and English.
