Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Carbondale) | Photo Courtesy of Paul Jacobs' website
Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Carbondale) | Photo Courtesy of Paul Jacobs' website
Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Carbondale) said the new legislative district maps pushed through by the Democrats ignored the input of the public.
The maps were signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker after objections from community advocacy organizations, self-styled government reform groups and Republicans.
"None of the things that were promised came true," Jacobs said. "The Democrats have the votes to pass whatever kind of map they want. We knew from the outset that this process would be no different than it has been in the past. Instead of breaking promises, the Democrats should have been honest with the people from the outset."
Jacobs said that Pritzker broke a promise to legislators and voters when he signed the maps into law.
"During his campaign for governor in 2018, Pritzker promised to veto maps 'in any way drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies.' He clearly did not keep his promise to the people of Illinois," Jacobs said.
The next step, Jacobs said, is to get a Constitutional amendment on the ballot.
"The effort fizzled out last year due to the pandemic, but now that the state is opened up again, I think another run at getting the fair map on the ballot in 2022 makes sense. Given the makeup of the Legislature right now, the best course of action is a citizens' ballot initiative," Jacobs said.
Jacobs added that the remapping process was not fair and is another hurdle for Republicans in the future.
"Our party has to go out and recruit good candidates and fund them. We can win because we have a winning message. We need a new direction to solve the state's problems and we won't get that with the current leadership," Jacobs said.
The new maps will take effect in 2023, an article by Illinois Newsroom states.
The Illinois Newsroom said in an article that the new House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), said that the new maps were a "win for the people of this great state” and thanked Democrats who worked on the House and Senate redistricting committees. He said they worked "tirelessly to make sure that Illinois remains a model for the nation for minority representation."
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