It’s a Monday night in downtown Mount Horeb. Inside Brix Cider, a farm-to-table restaurant with a homestyle feel, people are snacking as they wait for a time-honored political tradition in election season: a candidate forum.

At the front of the room are two chairs, but only one candidate is here. Sitting across from Elizabeth Grabe, a Democrat running against five-term incumbent Todd Novak, is an empty chair — save for a beer growler filled with purple flowers and an empty cup. 

Wisconsin has new voting maps this November. In collaboration with Isthmus newspaper, we examine how those new maps have spurred competition and organizing in advance of November. 

Credits: Audio by Abigail Leavins with contributions from Liam Beran. Production by Chali Pittman. In collaboration with Isthmus Community Media — read their related story at isthmus.com.

This reporting is funded in part by Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on September 15 in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. More at usdemocracyday.org.