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.

[1] 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.

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.

[1] 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.