Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) told the Associated Press on Monday that he would not vote for a bill introduced on Friday by Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) that would immediately put into place new legislative districts created by the recent Republican-led redistricting plan.

Republicans need all 17 votes in the Senate to pass bills, provided all 16 Democrats vote against it. A no vote from Schultz would likely mean Lazich's bill would fail to pass.

The new districts overwhelmingly favor Republicans and that bill was met with sharp criticism by Democrats and election watchdog groups alleging that it had an overwhelmingly negative impact on minority communities, among other things.

A federal lawsuit filed in June by a group of Wisconsin citizens seeking to block any implementation of the redistricting plan was upheld by a three-judge panel in Milwaukee on October 25.

Lazich's plan would implement those changes in two weeks, rather than in November 2012 as stipulated in the original bill.

The bill will be taken up today by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections, which Lazich chairs. (1:00 p.m. in room 411 South at the Capitol)

Democrats are also decrying efforts by Lazich to pass rules requiring any person gathering recall signatures to have the petitions notarized.

"Mary Lazich believes that only Republicans should get to vote," said Scot Ross, of One Wisconsin Now. "She believes that only Republicans should be able to use the recall process. If Mary Lazich thought recall signature notarization was such an issue, she had the last 20 years of her undistinguished career as a state legislator to do something about it."

Emily Mills

Editor-At-Large

Emily Mills is Editor-At-Large for Dane101, as well as Editor of Our Lives Magazine. She is also a freelance writer, photographer, actor, and musician (drummer and singer in local band Little Red Wolf). Originally from several states up and down the Midwest Emily has called Madison home since 2000. Contact her at