Sen. Terri Bryant | Facebook
Sen. Terri Bryant | Facebook
As Democrats work on redrawing Illinois' district maps, Republican lawmakers are pushing for Senate Bill 1325 to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians.
Districts nationwide are redrawn following the federal census taken every 10 years. Senate Bill 1325, also referred to as the People's Independent Maps Act, would allow the state Supreme Court to appoint a 16-person independent commission that would be in charge of redistricting, as reported by WSILTV.
"The People’s Independent Maps Act (Senate Bill 1325) is about ensuring that politicians can no longer pick their voters." said Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) in a Facebook post. "It’s about creating fair maps drawn by an independent commission and ensuring that every voter is fairly represented. This piece of legislation takes the language directly from a proposed constitutional amendment that garnered wide bipartisan support just last year. Our goal is to create a process where voters feel like their voices matter, creating a stronger democracy for Illinois."
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) said appointing this commission would be the only fair option for both parties.
“We’re talking about giving the people what they want,” McConchie said. “More than 75% of people want independent maps and using real data. We’re not using fake survey data in order to reach a partisan end.”
Some Democrats say this bill is the GOP's way of rigging redistricting in their favor.
“Republicans have already been clear that their only goal is to rig the process to elect more right-wing candidates,” state Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero), House Redistricting Committee chair, said, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
If passed, the bill would prohibit political insiders from serving on the commission. This would block lawmakers, lobbyists and state employees from being eligible.
According to WSILTV, appointees to the commission would be evenly split by political affiliation, and reflect Illinois' racial, gender and ethnic demographics.
As part of the bill, a public hearing would also be required before a redistricting map could be approved and implemented.
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