80th Wisconsin Legislature

The Eightieth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 4, 1971, to January 1, 1973, in regular session, and also convened in a special session in April 1972.

The April 1972 special session was called to come to a final agreement on a pivotal redistricting plan, which eliminated an Assembly district and broke the longstanding precedent of adhering to county boundaries.

Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 3, 1970. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 5, 1968.

The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat Patrick Lucey, of Crawford County, serving the first two years of a four-year term, having won election in the 1970 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.