Madison - Senate Republicans approved redrawing the boundaries of legislative and congressional districts Tuesday in what are likely to be some of their last acts before recall elections that could put Democrats in charge of the chamber.

The 19-14 party-line votes came even as a GOP freshman in the Assembly urged senators to tweak the maps so he would not be drawn into a colleague's district.

The actions clear the way for Assembly action Wednesday. The maps would then go to Gov. Scott Walker.

Republicans control both houses of the Legislature and the governor's office, and they view redrawing the maps now as crucial because they risk losing the Senate to Democrats next month.

Setting district boundaries can give one party an advantage over the other by packing like-minded voters into certain areas. The proposed maps, which would take effect for the fall 2012 elections, would make three state Senate seats in southeastern Wisconsin dramatically more Republican and help the re-election bid of GOP freshman U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy of Ashland.

Redistricting is required every 10 years to account for population shifts recorded by the U.S. Census.

Democrats decried the maps as partisan and called it insulting to hold the vote on the same day Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) faced a recall election and just weeks before eight other senators will do the same.

"This is a huge power grab by a party that's worried about losing the majority in a couple of weeks," said Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton).

But Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said Republicans were simply doing their job.

"I'm proud to announce that the new maps conform to the constitutional and legal requirements: substantially equal population, compact, contiguous districts and deference to minority populations," he said.

He added: "If you believe every Republican is happy, you should have heard some of the phone calls I got in the last month."

Democrats have acknowledged they have no way in this go-round of stopping the maps in the Legislature and are hoping they can be blocked in court. Courts have drawn or been heavily involved in redistricting every cycle since the 1960s.

Fifteen citizens, including two former legislators who are Democrats, filed a federal lawsuit over redistricting last month, even before Republicans made their maps public.

Anticipating a legal fight, Republicans hired Michael Best & Friedrich and the Troupis Law Office to consult on drawing maps. State taxpayers have paid the firms $350,000 so far this year.

Under current law, the Legislature can't draw legislative and congressional maps until local governments have drawn ones for county boards and common councils.

But Republicans passed legislation Tuesday to allow lawmakers to create their maps first.

Incumbents shifted

Under the proposed maps, 11 pairs of lawmakers would be drawn into the same districts. One of the affected lawmakers, Rep. André Jacque (R-Bellevue), this week asked Senate Republicans to change the maps so he is not pulled into the district of Rep. John Klenke (R-Green Bay). Senators did not take up his plan, though he could try to revive it in the Assembly.

Other affected Assembly Republicans are Tyler August of Walworth; Amy Loudenbeck of Clinton; Karl Van Roy of Green Bay; and John Nygren of Marinette.

On the Democrats' side in the Assembly, Peggy Krusick and Josh Zepnick, both of Milwaukee, would be in one district. Chris Danou of Trempealeau and Mark Radcliffe of Black River Falls would be in another one.

In five other Assembly districts, a Democrat incumbent has been paired with a Republican incumbent. They are: Andy Jorgenson (D-Fort Atkinson) and Steve Nass (R-Whitewater); John Steinbrink (D-Pleasant Prairie) and Samantha Kerkman (R-Powers Lake); Dave Cullen (D-Milwaukee) and Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield); Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay) and Jim Ott (R-Mequon); and Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) and Don Pridemore (R-Hartford).

Only one pair of senators were put in the same district - Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) and Van Wanggaard (R-Racine). Wirch is one of the senators facing recall elections for their stances on Walker's move to greatly limit collective bargaining for most public workers. His Republican opponent - Pleasant Prairie attorney Jonathan Steitz - also would be drawn out of the district.

That means whoever wins the Aug. 16 recall election can serve through next year but could seek re-election only by running in the new district or moving.

Two Democratic challengers in other recall elections are in the same situation. They are Rep. Fred Clark of Baraboo, who is running against Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), and former Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum, challenging Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez).

And a likely new member of the Assembly finds herself with the same problem. Democrat Chris Taylor of Madison won a primary last week for a vacant seat. She faces no opponent in the Aug. 9 general election but would no longer live in the same district as of November 2012, under the proposed map.

Emma Roller of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.