JSOnline @ the Link: A key Republican senator said Wednesday she favors using new legislative maps for the next round of recall elections – a change that she said would prevent logistical headaches in conducting elections. The change would also give Republicans a better chance at protecting their majority in the Legislature in the next batch of recall elections. “I don’t see a clear path to getting out of this mess other than clarifying these districts,” said Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), chairwoman of the Senate Transportation and Elections Committee. Republicans drew new legislative maps this year, and because of that action they now represent a new set of voters. But any recall elections between now and November 2012 will be conducted in their old districts because of the way they wrote the law adopting those new maps, according to the state’s top election official. The issue is important because the new maps generally favor Republicans. By holding recall elections in the old districts, Democrats would have an advantage as they try to flip one seat in the Senate to take control of that chamber. Lazich said she supported changing the law so that the new districts would take effect right away, which would mean any recalls would have to be conducted in the revised districts. She said she would discuss the matter with Senate Republicans when they meet Thursday and decide after that whether to write a bill on the issue. Mike Tate, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said such a change would be unfair, but that he expects it to happen.