* Press release…
After reviewing the General Assembly’s proposed maps to ensure they align with the landmark Voting Rights Act, Governor JB Pritzker signed three new maps that reflect Illinois’ diversity. The maps outline new districts for the General Assembly, Illinois Supreme Court and Cook County Board of Review and preserve minority representation in Illinois’ government in accordance with the federal Voting Rights Act.
“Illinois’ strength is in our diversity, and these maps help to ensure that communities that have been left out and left behind have fair representation in our government,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These district boundaries align with both the federal and state Voting Rights Acts, which help to ensure our diverse communities have electoral power and fair representation.”
A landmark achievement of the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act prohibits practices and procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a protected language minority group. Building on and strengthening that consequential law, the Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011 ensures redistricting plans are crafted in a way that preserves clusters of minority voters if they are of size or cohesion to exert collective electoral power. The maps signed into law today meet those requirements to adequately preserve minority representation and reflect the diversity of our state.
The district boundaries also account for population changes in the state, particularly in the regions that saw the most population loss as recorded by U.S. Census’ American Community Survey. In addition, the General Assembly held more than 50 public hearings statewide.
Detailed summaries of each individual House and Senate district, including communities of interest, geographic descriptions, and demographic data were adopted by both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate and are contained in House Resolution 359 and Senate Resolution 326 respectively.
The General Assembly Redistricting Act of 2021 (HB 2777), the Judicial Districts Act of 2021 (SB 642) and the Cook County Board of Review Redistricting Act of 2021 (SB 2661) take effect immediately.
Pretty certain this post will be updated.
…Adding… Speaker Welch…
“Today was a win for the people of this great state. With Governor Pritzker’s signature, people of Illinois can be confident in a legislative map that is reflective of the diversity that we see in every corner of our state. Not only does this map adhere to state and federal laws, but it is a product of more than 50 public hearings where citizens came to tell us what their communities look like to them. We also have new Illinois Supreme Court boundaries for the first time in more than half a century that accounts for population change and demographic shifts, as well as a new map for the Cook County Board of Review ensuring more equal representation for taxpayers in those districts. I am so proud of Leader Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, and the rest of the Redistricting Committee, who worked tirelessly to make sure that Illinois remains a model for the nation for minority representation.”
* Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington)…
“When JB Pritzker was a candidate for Governor, he made a lot of promises. He told us he was different, that he was a reformer, and that he would veto any map drawn by lawmakers. Today he broke his promise to voters and joins the all-too-long list of Illinois politicians who promise one thing and then do another.”
“The people of Illinois deserve a fair, transparent process that allows them to choose their representatives in Government. Pritzker turned his back on them and chose instead to use his signature to further enshrine the broken status quo of politicians picking their voters.”
…Adding… I’m hearing this as well. Greg Hinz…
I’m told by a source close to him that Pritzker advanced his timetable because the maps had become entangled in another hot issue: the terms of an energy deal that will satisfy green groups while keeping open Exelon nuclear plants without socking taxpayers with the costs of excessive subsidies.
Somebody tried to play games, so he signed the map bill to get that off the table.
* SGOP Leader McConchie…
“Today, Gov. Pritzker affirmed to all Illinois families why they can’t trust him to run the state,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods).
“By signing this map, created using flawed data and drawn by political insiders, the governor broke the promise he made to the people of Illinois. He also proved that he cares more about keeping power for his political friends than fair elections where the people of Illinois can pick their elected officials, instead of politicians picking their voters. He proved today that he’s just another old-school, tax-raising politician who cannot be trusted.”
* Rep. Ryan Spain…
“As a member of the House Redistricting Committee, we repeatedly heard from government reform advocates to use US census data and that they would require two weeks to provide adequate public review of the new map to see if it meets Voting Rights Act compliance. This is why Governor Pritzker broke his promise after only one week; before Democrats’ lies could be exposed as the deception Democrats intended to perpetrate all along. Through bad data, fake transparency and false urgency, Pritzker, Welch, and other Democrats pulled the wool over voter eyes. They assume they can get away with it because this is Illinois. The next election must be a referendum on whether voters will openly permit their own politicians to lie to them.”
* ILGOP Chair Don Tracy…
Governor Pritzker lied to the people of Illinois when he pledged to veto a politician-drawn map. Governor Pritzker promised to take politicians out of the mapmaking process and hand it over to an independent commission that would be required to follow the Voting Rights Act and protect minority representation. Instead, he let politicians pick their own voters, split up numerous communities of interest, and use faulty data all in an effort to rig the system for those already in power. Pritzker didn’t keep his word and cannot be trusted.
- IL13Residenr - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:11 pm:
Would this hurt Pritzker next year? He essentially broke a promise he made to voters…
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:13 pm:
===He essentially broke a promise===
Nothing essentially about it. Flat-out broke his promise.
Whether it’ll mean anything is another story.
- Huh? - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:17 pm:
Fair is in the eye of the beholder.
- Northsider - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:17 pm:
I think it’ll matter to some voters, but not enough to make a difference.
How often has redistricting come up in conversations I’ve had over the last 12-18 months? Bupkis.
- Proud Sucker - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:22 pm:
He will pivot to the “fair map” part of the promise ignoring the independent commission part. Reporter:
Governor, you promised to veto a legislative drawn map. Pritzker: The map meets the VRA, therefore it is fair, so I signed it.
- thunderspirit - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:23 pm:
I can’t disagree that it’s a broken promise, full stop. There’s no spinning it otherwise.
To echo Rich’s thoughts: I’m also not convinced it will matter, though.
- west wing - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:24 pm:
The fact that the General Assembly moved the primary back to allow congressional mapmakers to use the new Census data is the elephant in the room: why didn’t state lawmakers do the same.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:25 pm:
===why didn’t state lawmakers do the same===
Read the Illinois Constitution. It’s no mystery. It’s been in all the papers.
- DuPage Dad - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:29 pm:
This is a calculated promise to break. I continually get the sense that voters either feel that maps are generally unfair, or they don’t care, and there are no points to be won by dragging this particular policy item along, only lost. There are far more points to be won/lost in things like energy.
- Curious citizen - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:30 pm:
Pritzker’s handing of COVID-19 and legal weed will be the things most voters remember from his first term and will dictate whether he gets a second one. Nobody except politicians and the media cares about redistricting.
- SaulGoodman - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:42 pm:
**Pritzker’s handing of COVID-19 and legal weed**
I would argue that very, very few voters will vote based on how Pritzker handled cannabis.
- Unionman - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:46 pm:
By signing it quickly, it gives extra time to wind its way through the courts. At least that was responsible.
- Telly - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:49 pm:
Energy, budget…you name it. It’s hard for a governor to get what he wants without signing the legislators’ map. They care about that map a thousand times more than any other issue. It’s just that time of the decade.
- 62656 - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 12:58 pm:
I’ve emailed my Republican state rep about this, but didn’t get a reply so will post here. Why not seek an agreement with state(s) where Republicans have the gov-sen-house trifecta totaling near 17 U.S. reps into a multistate bipartisan no-gerrymandering agreement?
- @misterjayem - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:00 pm:
I don’t believe that anyone who otherwise would have voted for Pritzker in the next election will change that vote based on his signing these maps.
Some voters will be unhappy — some will be very unhappy — but I don’t believe it will move the needle.
– MrJM
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:02 pm:
===Why not seek===
Horse, barn door, etc.
- Tommydanger - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:11 pm:
“The next election must be a referendum on whether voters will openly permit their own politicians to lie to them.”
Its only really a lie if you believe its a lie. There are a whole bunch of lies out there masquerading as the truth.
- JoanP - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:15 pm:
= I would argue that very, very few voters will vote based on how Pritzker handled cannabis. =
As long as he doesn’t bogart the joint . . .
- NIU Grad - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:17 pm:
I’m waiting to see if any of his potential GOP opponents respond, or if they’re still stumbling around trying to find their keys. Without a “voice of the opposition” outside of the legislative leaders, he might not be too worried.
- phocion - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:18 pm:
If the economy is sound, Biden is not completely unpopular, crime isn’t perceived to be out of control, and no major administration scandals happen, Pritzker should win re-election. He broke a promise signing this, but voters pay attention to only the above stuff when deciding.
- Chuck - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:22 pm:
In 4 weeks, voters won’t remember this. In 18 months… heh.
- Mr. Hand - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 1:57 pm:
I would not be so dismissive of the impact. This alone is not going to flip the election, but this with a multitude of other things could have larger impact. COVID, Weed, La Salle, failed fair tax and now broken promises. All of this and more will play into the calculus for voters.
I do believe it was a missed opportunity to be bipartisan and do something the majority of voters want. 18 months is a while away, but Pritzker could use a few more wins.
- Manchester - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 2:19 pm:
“The next election must be a referendum on whether voters will openly permit their own politicians to lie to them.” Meh, that ship sailed a long time ago. Most voters know that politicians lie to them every time they speak. There are some that don’t but they are pretty sparse.
- Frank talks - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 2:23 pm:
Do.voters really care? Did they care when Pate did it? Did it matter when Madigan did it? The voters may have an issue but there are so many more issues that they care about than a legislative map. Guns, prolife vs pro choice, equity, crime, education funding, equality, etc etc. All of those issues, whether for or against, are the ones voters key in on during an election.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 2:53 pm:
What MrJM said. I mean, even I’m going to be voting for Pritzker and I hate these maps and the way he lied about it.
- Louis G Atsaves - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 3:01 pm:
So he signed the remap bills in a public ceremony with a huge crowd of smiling faces behind him, all celebrating the fact that Illinois is now a model of extreme gerrymandering and partisanship?
Or did he sign them behind closed doors? I can’t find any photos of this esteemed event.
- anon2 - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 3:04 pm:
Is the new rule that any pol who flips on a pre-election promise should henceforth be ineligible for re-election? Presumably the rule should i apply to both parties.
Lots of Republican pols have changed their minds. Tom Cross was for a ten-year limit on the House GOP leader until he wasn’t. Take Sen. Lindsay Graham for another example. Then there’s Trump. He was going to pay off the national debt. Instead he grew it by more than $6 trillion. George Ryan favored the death penalty all his career until the very end when he changed his mind. Jim Edgar campaigned as pro-death penalty against Netsch. But when a woman was next in line to be executed, Edgar commuted her sentence, though her guilt was not in doubt. The fact is that pols in both parties go back on some of their campaign promises. Voters will ultimately decide if the particular change matters.
- 47th and Lake Park - Friday, Jun 4, 21 @ 3:20 pm:
If Pritzker really wants to reform redistricting, he will do it in Spring 2022, long before anyone’s ox needs to be gored again. And then he can run on that. Odds of this happening? Pretty low, since goo-goos seems to have a short time horizon. Maybe let’s wait for 2031 and complain about it again!