*** UPDATE 1 *** The House has passed the Cook County Board of Review remap 72-45. The chamber is now debating the Illinois Supreme Court remap bill.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The House just passed the Supreme Court map 72-45. Keep an eye on the live coverage post for moment-by-moment updates and debate coverage.
*** UPDATE 3 *** The House is debating the resolution describing the intent of the remap. Within that resolution, the Democrats claim that changes were made to the district to unpack House Republicans from districts with fellow House Republicans “Following the request of Republicans.” The Republicans say they made no request (see below) and Rep. Keicher specifically asked that his name be removed from the resolution.
*** UPDATE 4 *** The Senate is now taking up the legislative redistricting bill, HB2777.
*** UPDATE 5 *** The Senate has passed the redistricting bill, HB2777, which now heads to the House.
*** UPDATE 6 *** The House has passed the legislative redistricting resolution.
*** UPDATE 7 *** The Senate has approved the new Supreme Court maps on a partisan roll call. It will be sent to the governor.
*** UPDATE 8 *** The Senate has passed the Board of Review remap. It will be sent to the governor.
*** UPDATE 9 *** ILGOP Chair…
“Illinois Democrat legislators conducted an embarrassing and nontransparent process to create the exact type of map Governor JB Pritzker pledged to veto. The Governor now has a choice. He can either keep his word to veto a partisan map drawn by politicians or turn his back on the people of Illinois. Pritzker can do the right thing or outright break his promise.”
*** UPDATE 10 *** The House has passed the legislative redistricting bill 71-45. And that’s it. Both chambers have passed their resolutions, and both chambers have now passed all the remap bills.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Crain’s…
After a week of absolutely tone-deaf public relations, Illinois Democrats finally got a little smarter last night, rolling out slightly revised proposed new maps for Illinois House and Senate districts.
But the changes, which are expected to start moving through the House later today and make it to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk by the time you’re back at work next week, effectively only tweak around the margins of maps that leave Democrats solidly in control of the General Assembly. […]
“It was a ploy to get us to go along, and we didn’t bite,” says one ranking Republican. “They tried the exact same thing 10 years ago. It’s the same playbook.”
This was a power move, and those aren’t popular with reporters and pundits. You just put your head down and listen to your lawyers. The second map is part of the whole process and, as noted above, was used before…
The once-in-a-decade event is always acrimonious, but partisan bickering and even tiffs between members of the redistricting committees and witnesses weighing in on the mapmaking process have dominated conversations surrounding the new district boundaries.
The chief complaint from advocacy organizations is Democrats’ insistence on using non-Census data to draw the maps, as the COVID pandemic delayed the 2020 Census data until August — more than two months after a constitutional trigger that takes the redistricting process out of lawmakers’ hands and punts it to an eight-member bipartisan appointed commission, which has ended in deadlock three of four times it’s ever been used.
As a deadlocked commission is a forgone conclusion, Democrats don’t want to risk giving Republicans a 50/50 chance to control the mapmaking process with the random selection of an additional partisan member of the panel, who would cast the deciding vote in one of the party’s favors.
* Tribune…
Democrats late Tuesday also acknowledged the use of “public election data” in drawing the maps. The party preference of Illinois voters who cast primary ballots is public record.
In addition the Democrats said 15 of the new districts are at or above 50% Black population and 14 districts are at or above 50% Latinx.
The state’s Latinx population has supplanted the Black population behind the state’s white population.
Those are not Citizen Voting Age Population numbers, however. There are 12 Black and 5 Latinx-majority districts when accounting for CVAP.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Republicans on Wednesday tried to tie an indictment of a longtime lieutenant of former House Speaker Michael Madigan to the Democrats’ effort to redraw legislative district lines ahead of the General Assembly’s May 31 adjournment.
The latest indictment came Wednesday with just six days remaining in the legislative session, as former Madigan chief of staff Tim Mapes faced charges of lying to a grand jury about his knowledge of Madigan’s involvement with a prominent lobbyist who has also been indicted. Madigan has not been charged.
Republicans on a redistricting committee used the indictment as a new line of attack, complementing their claims that Democrats are trying to forge ahead with inadequate population data and a complete lack of transparency as to how the maps were drawn.
Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, pointed out that Mapes was heavily involved in Madigan’s redistricting efforts, the most recent of which took place in 2011 after the previous decennial census.
“The new boss has the old boss’s ways. It came home to roost today in the indictment of the man who used to run this entire operation, and whose shadow was cast across these proceedings,” Butler said. “Let’s get transparent, let’s get the data out.”
* The new boss may have “improved” on the old boss’ ways…
Mapes, by the way, pleaded not guilty today.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 2:02 pm:
=Democrats late Tuesday also acknowledged the use of “public election data” in drawing the maps. The party preference of Illinois voters who cast primary ballots is public record=
Makes sense, I’m sure they analyzed those hard “D’s” who pulled Dem ballot in 2 or more primaries.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 2:06 pm:
=== Makes sense, I’m sure they analyzed those hard “D’s” who pulled Dem ballot in 2 or more primaries.===
How do explain Pate’s 10 year run as president… after a new map… “luck”?
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 2:11 pm:
– I’m sure they analyzed those hard “D’s” –
I was having a discussion with a recent candidate when he was on the campaign trail for a house seat last year.
I was curious how I was labelled in this public data. I could have pulled it myself at anytime, but never really saw the need to. Presented with the opportunity to easily ask, I did.
I came up as a “leans D” in the public data. I lean D in the same way Bernie Sanders leans D. I’ve been voting for almost 30 years now, in literally every single election no matter how small. I have to wonder how accurate some of this data is.
- SpiDem - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 2:18 pm:
Judge: Mr. Mapes, how do you plead?
Mapes: Not guilty your honor
Judge: Noted
- Highland, IL - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 2:34 pm:
==insistence on using non-Census data to draw the maps, as the COVID pandemic delayed the 2020 Census data until August ==
Don’t blame this on COVID. This was the last POTUS Administration’s plan. Now the ILGOP is living with the consequences.
- Etown - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 2:40 pm:
To the victors go to the spoils but for Dems to say this has been a transparent process with significant public input is a complete joke
- Blake - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:00 pm:
For Lean D, Hard D, similar for R’s, is it just which party whose primary you have voted in? If not, where it is publicly available?
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:05 pm:
== Democrats are more aggressively partisan with these maps than Madigan was with the last set. ==
If true, then Republicans finally got rid of Madigan and ended up worse off.
== to say this has been a transparent process with significant public input is a complete joke. ==
The input at hearings regarding Lawndale and the Orthodox Jewish community certainly led to adjustments. Those community leaders probably don’t consider the hearings a complete joke.
- Norseman - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:06 pm:
The game is playing out as expected. The majority drafts favorable maps and the minority whines about them. Now we move to the next level, the court battle.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:09 pm:
“If true, then Republicans finally got rid of Madigan and ended up worse off.”
Which is how I thought it would go. They lost their best (yet incredibly weak) campaign theme. And, believe it or not, Madigan is not all that liberal. Now, instead of the old-timey party boss, they get the au courant liberal.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:12 pm:
I wonder if the Republicans somehow thought the new Dem leaders would be pushovers and naively allow the remapping to advance to the bi-partisan commission after which the Republicans would identify something unacceptable which would then result in the decision by coin-toss?
I understand their disappointment, but, really…
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:18 pm:
“In the end, The Democrats were able to move on from Michael J Madigan, solidify, unify, and even become more brazen and overt in exerting power.
Republicans were super minoritied, had no statewide offices, had the Supreme Court election victory all but removed with a new map and saw new legislative maps be their worst nightmare. They missed Madigan far more than as a boogeyman”
- History
- LostinIl - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:37 pm:
The democrats have run this state so well these past 20 years I can understand why most everyone on this site wants them to draw maps favorable to them and disenfranchise Republican voters. Just look at all the people trying to move to Il since it is so great. No pension problems. No deficit problems. Taxes are low. It is just great here.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:52 pm:
The Senate is taking up the state legislative maps.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:59 pm:
When will we finally see the new Congressional 17-district maps?
- low level - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:03 pm:
The GQP didnt want home addresses used until they did. What a joke.
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:04 pm:
House Republicans complained about the first map that concentrated so many of them in the same districts. Now they’re complaining about the revised map that pairs fewer of them in the same district. Is the revised map really no better than the first?
- Been There - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:06 pm:
==== When will we finally see the new Congressional 17-district maps?====
They are holding off on those until the census numbers come out. That’s why they want to move the primary to June. Also no constitutional deadline problem as there is with the GA maps
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:13 pm:
Sen. Barikman has a point that Democrats are hypocrites for not sticking to their calls for reform of redistricting. On the other hand, there’s a tad of hypocrisy on his side as well professing their commitment to democracy, while voting for grossly malapportioned court districts instead of for one person, one vote.
- Precinct Captain. - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:20 pm:
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:04 pm:
You’ll never make a hypocrite happy.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:22 pm:
===The democrats have run this state so well these past 20 years===
Rauner was a Democrat?
Diana, sure… but…
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:26 pm:
Voted “Yes”.
“Why?”
If the case is made that it’s to ensure VRA compliance, yep, do it.
- The Failing New York Times - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:37 pm:
So…will the IL GOP be urging the passage of HR 1 (the For the People Act), which would ban among other things, ban partisan gerrymandering nationwide?
- Etown - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:41 pm:
So are hypocrites the Dems who say they supported independent commission for maps or Repubs who were packed in same district based on residence
As the great/smart Curtis Tarver says just trying to set things straight for the record
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:48 pm:
Hypocrisy is a universal human behavior that we have an uncanny ability to spot in our opponents, while having a blind spot for ourselves.
- DougChicago - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:49 pm:
Are they doing a congressional map?
- Amalia - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 4:52 pm:
seriously love the County Board of Review map
- Precinct Captain - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 5:15 pm:
*** UPDATE 6 *** The House has passed the legislative redistricting resolution. It now goes to the Senate.
This is incorrect. It’s just a House resolution.
- Etown - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 5:18 pm:
well said anon2
- Rich Miller - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 5:18 pm:
===This is incorrect.===
You are correct. Deleted. Problem with being on the phone while updating. Oops
- twowaystreet - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 5:32 pm:
==Are they doing a congressional map?==
Have a hunch they will wait until the census data comes out, given the national stakeholders who have an interest in those, but I could be wrong. Still a few days left… Guess we will see.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:00 pm:
I wonder…if the Dems had tried to create a non-partisan commission to draw “fair maps” would the Republicans be supporting those maps now or would they be complaining that the constitution was not followed or would they have some other complaint? Because, in Illinois, the fairest of maps would 1) result in a significant Dem majority, 2) put some members in the same district, 3) link some of the downstate urban areas, 4) create more districts in Chicago and the burbs and fewer districts in rural areas. All the things the Republicans are complaining about. (This is kind of like the 2020 election, which many Republicans decided was not fair because they did not do as well as they wanted.)
- Charlie Wheeler - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:00 pm:
Point of information (belated):
Both the Senate and the House now have approved their respective redistricting resolutions—SR 326, HR 359—which are meant to explain the decisions relative to that chamber that were used in crafting the actual redistricting map, the geographic details of which are contained in two identical bills—HBs 2777 and 1980. Because neither resolution is a joint resolution, they do not require any action by the other chamber to be finalized.
Respectfully submitted,
Charlie Wheeler
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:14 pm:
=== *** UPDATE 7 *** The Senate has approved the new Supreme Court maps on a partisan roll call. It will be sent to the governor.===
Tell me again how that Kilbride thingy was a… win?
Also?
Also, it can’t be the last Friday of Spring Session without - Charlie Wheeler - in the comments, and I am here for that… every single time.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:16 pm:
===“ Illinois Democrat legislators…”===
This is the very same ILGOP chairman who flat out refuses to denounce racists, insurrectionists, and conspiracy theorists.
The very same one.
But, “ Illinois Democrat legislators”, amirite?
“Sad”
- Norseman - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:19 pm:
Always special to hear from Charlie Wheeler, State House legend.
- Etown - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:54 pm:
Charlie is a legend
- Leap Day William - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 8:16 pm:
== Taxes are low. It is just great here. ==
Speaking as someone whose partner moved here from a southern state and is in awe of what all it addresses by thr state/local entities, the whole “taxes are low” argument is only a selling point for other states until you see what your lack of taxes gets you in terms of infrastructure, education, services, and truckloads of usage fees. We’ll both take living here and getting more for our money over going back to any southern state.
- low level - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 9:24 pm:
I’ll agree they should have chosen a better vehicle bill then HB2777.