Democrats Release Second Proposed Legislative District Map
Multiple House and Senate districts in the Peoria and Bloomington-Normal areas changed in a new legislative redistricting proposal released by Democrats Thursday night.
Democrats released a second version of proposed redistricting boundaries Thursday night, which they said keeps some communities of interest together and prevents potential Republican member vs. member primaries next March.
In a release, Democrats said they took public comment into account.
“After 50 public hearings across the state and listening to hours of testimony, the House and Senate Democrats have put together a product our state can be proud of,” said Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero), Chair of the House Redistricting Committee. “What should stand out about this proposed map is how similar districts look compared to our current map. This is the same map a renowned expert says is a model for the nation for minority representation. The changes we made not only reflect testimony provided the last couple of days from members of the public, but also include revisions to address concerns raised by Republicans.”
“This proposed map is the product of countless hours of testimony from advocacy, community, and grassroots organizations, as well as individuals who care deeply about their communities. Their passion and dedication were vital to this process, which has resulted in a fair map that will not only ensure that broad racial and geographic diversity is reflected in the General Assembly, but also maintain our status as a leader in the nation for minority representation in the state legislature,” said Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago), Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee.
According to the Democrats, the revised version of the proposed legislative map is a request from the Orthodox Jewish community. While maintaining the integrity of surrounding districts, as well as requests from other members of the public, the revisions will keep more of the Orthodox Jewish community united. The revised legislative map also restores the southern part of the North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago to its current legislative district following feedback from community members asking for that change.
Democrats said they changed districts based on GOP criticisms on the number of incumbent Republicans who would be located in the same district. A number of those districts have been reconfigured to accommodate the concerns of Republicans.
Republicans weren’t swayed by the changes.
“Round two of the House Democratic legislative maps are as dishonest as the ones released last Friday. The House Democrats turned their back on Illinoisans and every advocacy group who has an interest in honest government,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) in a statement. “Despite the flowery rhetoric about these changes, the Illinois House Democrats allowed their members to draw their own legislative districts with phony data. It is now on Governor Pritzker to live up to his pledge in 2019 and veto this poor excuse for democracy.”
State Senator Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington),the lead Republican on the Senate Redistricting Committee, called the map the “broken status quo.”
“Tonight’s disclosure demonstrates everything wrong with the current broken system of politicians creating their own legislative districts,” Barickman said. “During numerous hearings, Democrats in charge claimed that they wanted the public’s input, but what they’ve done this year is no better than the same crooked paths of the past.”
Both Durkin and Barickman again called on Governor JB Pritzker to veto the maps if they pass the legislature. Pritzker reversed course last month on a campaign pledge to veto any map drawn by politicians. Pritzker has not appeared publicly since the maps were released last Friday.
No legislation has been filed for the new maps as of Thursday evening.
Paid subscribers will get an exclusive breakdown of changes to the new map in Friday morning’s subscriber-only newsletter. Subscribe here.
