“If Republicans vote down the second map, that will be the clearest sign yet that they are rushing to gerrymander Iowa’s legislative map and rig election outcomes in their favor.“
Prepared remarks by State Senator Zach Wahls at Iowa Democratic Leaders’ 10-21-21 press conference
See the 2nd nonpartisan redistricting proposal
“First of all, I want to say how disappointed I am at yesterday’s district court injunction against striking Deere workers in Davenport. This ruling is yet another attack on labor rights in Iowa and an ominous sign of what is to come.
“As of this morning, we have seen and started our review of the second redistricting plan released by the non-partisan LSA. Our position has been clear and consistent from the beginning: Iowans deserve fair maps, drawn without interference from politicians, and without partisan amendments.
“Just like the first map, this second map is fair and meets the legal and constitutional requirements. It addresses all of the purported concerns of the Republicans from the first map. Senate Democrats will vote for it, and Legislative Republicans should join us in voting for fair, non-partisan maps.
“As we said after the first map, there was no legitimate reason for Republicans to vote down the first map, and there will be no legitimate reason to vote down the second map either. If Republicans vote down the second map, that will be the clearest sign yet that they are rushing to gerrymander Iowa’s legislative map and rig election outcomes in their favor.
“Republicans have an opportunity today to put this all to rest. They can make a definitive statement today against gerrymandering by stating they’ll vote for the fair, non-partisan maps that were just released. We’ll have respected our gold-standard non-partisan redistricting process, and we can move onto the important work of solving the problems that hard-working Iowans face.
“That’s what Senate Democrats are ready to do, and we hope Legislative Republicans are as well.
“Approving this fair, non-partisan redistricting plan is in the best interests of both parties, and more importantly, it will be the best outcome for all Iowans.”