* Press release…
The Senate and House Redistricting Committees today released an updated version of the proposed legislative map that includes changes suggested by community groups, advocacy organizations and individuals during hours of testimony at four public hearings held this week.
“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, 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, Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee.
Among the changes made in 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.
Following the release of the proposed legislative map, Republicans in the legislature made public comments criticizing 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.
In addition to these updates, House and Senate Democrats also released new boundaries for the Cook County Board of Review. The Board is a vital asset that assists taxpayers in calculating tax obligations for Cook County property owners. Currently, there are three Commissioners elected in three separate districts in Cook County. This proposed map reflects population shifts in the past decade and allows for more equal representation across the districts.
Consistent with the proposed legislative and Supreme Court maps, this proposed map was drafted using population information from the American Community Survey’s (ACS) 5-year estimate for 2019. The ACS estimate varies by just 0.3 percent from the state’s official population count released by the U.S. Census Bureau in April.
The proposed maps will soon head to committee for further debate and discussion in both the House and Senate. To view the proposed map, visit www.ilsenateredistricting.com or www.ilhousedems.com/redistricting.
…Adding… Leader Durkin…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) released the following statement on the release of new legislative maps by the Illinois Democrats this evening:
“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. 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.”
Senate GOP…
State Senator Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington), lead Republican on the Senate Redistricting Committee, released the following statement in response to the Democrat’s most recently released map.
“Tonight’s disclosure demonstrates everything wrong with the current broken system of politicians creating their own legislative districts. 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.
“They drew a map behind closed doors that is not representative of the people they are supposed to be serving. Their updated map maintains the broken status quo, because it was clearly created to prioritize the protection of incumbent politicians and maintain their power over everything else. No one could watch this gerrymandering process unfold and maintain any level of respect or faith in their state legislature.
“Illinois has to change the way districts are drawn. We desperately need a system where the public actively participates in an open, transparent, and independent process. We need an independent commission to draw the districts based on Illinoisans’ diverse communities and shared interests, to make districts more competitive, which will result in a much more responsive legislature.
“The people of Illinois should be empowered to carry out this process to choose their representatives, instead of allowing the politicians in power to choose their voters.
“We are once again calling on the Governor to live up to his promise and veto this and any other politician-drawn map.”
House GOP…
Illinois House Republican Redistricting Committee Members Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville), Tim Butler (R-Springfield), Dave Severin (R-Benton) and Ryan Spain (R-Peoria):
“Once again, behind closed doors in a locked room, the Illinois Democrats re-drafted legislative maps to maintain their political power across Illinois by choosing their voters. Chairwoman Hernandez’s claims of accommodating Republican concerns are deceptive and downright untrue. The only concerns Republicans voiced were the use of inadequate data, and politicians drawing their own maps to pick their voters.
We join the countless advocates who testified in four public hearings over the last two days who urged the Majority Party to wait for the official Census data coming in just two months before making final decisions on this very important process in our democracy. We call on Governor Pritzker to veto these maps just as he promised millions of Illinoisans he would while on the campaign trail.”
*** UPDATE *** Rep. Tarver has introduced an amendment containing the Supreme Court redistricting language. Click here.
…Adding… Yep…
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:01 pm:
===Republicans in the legislature made public comments criticizing the number of incumbent Republicans who would be located in the same district.===
“Some” might say that’s an addition by subtraction deal?
- low level - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:35 pm:
A number of the districts may have been reconfigured to accommodate Republicans but that won’t get them on board. They should have left those districts as they had them.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:35 pm:
Doesn’t look like much, if anything, changes in the Springfield area on this revised map.
You can now add Princeville (in northern Peoria County, about 1500 population or so) to the small towns in western Illinois in two Legislative Districts list. After Chatham, Macomb, Good Hope, Toulon, and Woodhull which I discovered in my replies to Monday’s thread.
The east half of Princeville (in Akron Township is now in the new 37th Senate/73rd House; the west half of town in Princeville Township is in the 47th Senate/93rd House. Originally the whole town was supposed to be in the 37th/73rd.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:41 pm:
— A number of those districts have been reconfigured to accommodate the concerns of Republicans. —
Maybe Lucy won’t pull the football away next time if they are nice to her.
- Been There - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:46 pm:
==== A number of the districts may have been reconfigured to accommodate Republicans but that won’t get them on board. They should have left those districts as they had them.====
Guessing that is all about the expected court cases.
- low level - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:46 pm:
I’m looking for the Republican redistricting website. Surely it has maps and data right?
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:49 pm:
- Been There - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:46 pm
Political packing is not illegal. If anything, packing so many Republicans enhances the defense that it was drawn for maximum partisan political impact
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:02 pm:
– They should have left those districts as they had them. –
Alternatively, I would have preferred a response more like…
“I have altered the maps. Pray I do not alter them further.”
- Barstool in Hamel - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:04 pm:
The newest member of the cook county board review who was Jason Van Dyke’s attorney drew the short end of the straw in this remap
- Lala land - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:08 pm:
Did anyone else notice that Avery Bourne who is a member of the redistricting committee carved out the area her husband is from north of Springfield to add to her district? I guess she got tired of pretending that she actually lives in the district she supposedly represents. Watcha wanna bet that as soon as it’s approved her address changes?
- MyTwoCents - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:11 pm:
The Republicans preach “fair maps” which in its truest definition would not take into account current legislators. Yet they complain about 4 legislators being packed together, once again exposing their hypocrisy.
- Norseman - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:14 pm:
=== A number of the districts may have been reconfigured to accommodate Republicans but that won’t get them on board. ===
But, the Dems were so concerned about GQP feedback. /s
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:17 pm:
===drew the short end of the straw===
Yeah. Not great for her.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:19 pm:
===Surely it has maps and data right? ===
They would say that they’re not going to draw maps until the Census data comes out.
Also… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM2K7sV-K74
- low level - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:25 pm:
“Short end of the stick”. Sorry, but how does the BOR map impact Wendt? I don’t see it.
- Hahaha - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:28 pm:
Lala land - do you enjoy disparaging women? Her husband is from Kankakee. I suppose that is being from “North of Springfield,” but clearly you can’t read a map.
- Barstool in Hamel - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:37 pm:
-Sorry, but how does the BOR map impact Wendt? I don’t see it.-
Cook County is a long way from Hamel,but the way I see it, subtracting the SW Suburbs of Orland, Tinley and Lemont and adding the City Neighborhoods of the Lower West Side, Lawndale, Brighton Park etc leaves the current commissioner vulnerable in a Democratic Primary
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:38 pm:
Bourne has more pressing issues.
If that district still has another GOP member, how will that go?
I haven’t delved into that, so if it’s moot…
- Lala land - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:47 pm:
Hahaha. Her husband lived in Sherman for several years before they married.
- From DaZoo - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:01 pm:
Good for the Orthodox Jewish community to speak up as they do tend to live in a neighborhood together (walking distance to synagogue, I think). Are there other examples of groups like this that also spoke up? For instance there are a couple Sikh facilities (worship and community center), but I don’t know if they live as close together as the Orthodox Jews do.
- Pot calling kettle - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:04 pm:
===Surely it has maps and data right? ===
===They would say that they’re not going to draw maps until the Census data comes out.===
How do they know these maps aren’t fair if they don’t have something “fair” for comparison? Also, the census data will not even be available until after most (if not all) of the constitutional deadlines have passed. I’m guessing that if the Republicans won the coin toss on September 5, they would forget all about the census and community input and have their maps filed before the sun set.
- Illinana - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:18 pm:
Lala Land - what are you even talking about? Bourne may be one of the GOP members on the redistricting committee, but she had zero influence in the drawing of this map. To me, it looks like Senate Democrats wanted to carve her out of Senator Doris Turner’s district.
- FWIW - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:28 pm:
Lala Land - I don’t know what’s worse. Your sexism? Or being wrong about her husband: where he’s from and that he never lived in Sherman? Mapes, if that’s you… you’re not supposed to be on the computer this late!
- sladay - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:28 pm:
My little town of Durand Illinois got split straight in half for the house map. We are in Chesney’s district.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:33 pm:
Will the new Congressional district map come out tomorrow?
- Anonish - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:48 pm:
That BOR district has been a bit of swing, Murphy held it for several cycles. Wendt, like Brendan Houlihan in 2008, rode the presidential coat tails. Brendan Houlihan ran an awful re-elect and the Patlak held for a few rounds without a decent challenger. It will be interesting to see the demographics of that new district.
- CubsFan16 - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:57 pm:
Is Caulkins now with Scherer?
- Anonanonsir - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 10:14 pm:
==Consistent with the proposed legislative and Supreme Court maps, this proposed map was drafted using population information from the American Community Survey’s (ACS) 5-year estimate for 2019. The ACS estimate varies by just 0.3 percent from the state’s official population count released by the U.S. Census Bureau in April.==
That tells you very little. There are 118 House districts and 59 Senate districts. The Democrats have only one census number to support their claim that the ACS estimates are accurate. In fact it’s likely that some districts are underestimated or overestimated by larger percentage margins.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 11:28 pm:
===it’s likely that some districts are underestimated or overestimated by larger percentage margins===
You’re allowed up to 10 points either way.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 8:09 am:
==where he’s from and that he never lived in Sherman?==
Sherman could have gotten worse in the remap. They could have been in the same new representative district as Athens and the rest of Menard County. Which extends northwest all the way to western Rock Island County.
- A Guy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 9:33 am:
Its petty regardless of who does it, and likely is detrimental to seeing better people make themselves available. Oddly on the Dems side, they don’t seem to be doing extra favors for Dupage Dems Conroy, Willis, Howard and Stava-Murray. Which side the bread gets buttered on seems to be much more personal in this regard.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:01 am:
==Oddly on the Dems side, they don’t seem to be doing extra favors for Dupage Dems Conroy, Willis, Howard and Stava-Murray.==
I don’t think Rock Island County Dems are too thrilled about their county being divided among three Senatorial districts now–including the infamous proposed 47th Senate (which includes Sen. Anderson’s Andalusia) from where you could see the Capitol Dome on a clear day on part of its southeast extent (just east of Athens at the Menard-Sangamon County line when crossing the RR tracks).
- The Old Man - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:09 am:
Nothing but democrat garbage.
When will the people decide to stop this ???
- Lala land - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 11:00 am:
Fwiw - I’ve read my comment several times and don’t understand how the comments are sexist. Maybe you and hahaha can explain it to me?
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:19 pm:
It looks like all House Republicans voted against redistricting the Supreme Court, preferring the badly malapportioned current districts that go back to 1963. The heck with one person, one vote.
- FWIW - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:41 pm:
Lala Land - your charge is that Rep. Bourne, as a woman, must be trying to add in a new part of her district so she can follow her husband back to where he is from. And that currently, she is pretending to live in her district, because as a woman, she must be living where her husband is making them live. Nevermind that you are wrong about where her husband has lived or where he is from, but that is textbook sexism. I suggest you take the L and move on to a new obsession.