* Pearson has a solid story in the Tribune today about the redistricting case. You should read the whole thing, but here’s an excerpt…
“What we see is lines drawn where Latinos and Anglos are moved in and out … in a way that makes it so two incumbents are prevented from a Latino challenge,” said MALDEF attorney Ernest Herrera.
Civil rights attorney Ami Gandhi, on behalf of the NAACP, said Black voters in a House district in East St. Louis that has been represented by a Black legislator since 1975 have been dispersed into adjoining districts in an effort to shore up white Democratic incumbents by “using Black population to offset Republican rural voters.”
The challengers also argued that the large numbers of minority officeholders in the General Assembly was largely due to appointments to fill vacancies, rather than the will of the voters. Of the legislature’s 16 Latino members, nine gained office through appointment.
Democrats sought to discount those arguments by noting that appointments are made by local party leaders who reflect the areas where they serve, and that most appointees are subsequently elected and reelected.
The law does not require that districts be created with a majority of minority voters, they said, but only that minorities are allowed to elect a candidate of their choice.
- Blue Dog - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 10:15 am:
East. St. Louis population down to 25k. Politically darn near irrelevant. Unless of course you live there.
- Alton Giant - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 10:29 am:
East Saint Louis was once the fourth largest city in Illinois. It is now number 89 with a current population of 25K. It might be unrealistic to demand that ESL has its own Representative. Referencing 1975 does not make a convincing argument.
- Hahaha - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 10:44 am:
ESL is leading the fight for the black population in ESL itself and the surrounding communities. If you take in all of the black population in the surrounding historically black towns and villages (Madison, Centerville, Cahokia, etc) of the Mississippi river bottoms, you do indeed get a majority black district.
- Downstate - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 10:55 am:
“East Saint Louis was once the fourth largest city in Illinois.”
One party rule, for decades, is never a good thing.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 11:03 am:
===One party rule, for decades, is never a good thing.===
lol
The mayors were always the Republican governors’ favorites.
Also, there was massive and almost complete white flight when the factories closed. Durbin lived there as a child.
- levivotedforjudy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 11:59 am:
I’m an East St. Louis native and a long-time concern and fear was that without a Kenny Hall or a Wyvetter Younge (I’m going way back to my childhood), the voices and concerns of ESL would be ignored. This could make those fears and concerns reality. But, I totally understand you cannot ignore the population loss. We even had 3 high schools when I grew up. Now, its 1.
- Blue Dog - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:18 pm:
levivoted. what has any politician done in the last 30 years to help the conditions of folks living in east st. Louis. I think I’d be looking to do something different.
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:43 pm:
As a point of law, you do not want to create a district that is a majority African American or supermajority African American unless it is *necessary* to elect a Black lawmaker.
That is called “packing”, and it’s a big no-no.
As drawn, the map not only assures than East St. Louis elects a Black state rep, but also that surrounding metro-east legislators are dependent on the support of the Black community for their victory.
How is that not a win for the Black community?
- Shield - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:44 pm:
- Blue Dog - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:18 pm:
16 of the last 30 years, Illinois has had Republican governors. What did Edgar, Ryan, or Rauner ever do for East St. Louis?
- Downstate - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:45 pm:
Rich,
The Democrats have ruled E. St. Louis for how long?
Durbin is 77 years old. I’m presuming it’s been 50 years since he resided there.
The white flight is one thing, but successive Democrat administrations have failed to turn around the fortunes of the city. There are examples of other communities that suffered ESL’s same plight, but turned around.
If there’s not blame on the political establishment of the city, for changing the trajectory, where do you think the blame lies?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:46 pm:
The thing about the maps, if legislators are going to vote in favor of maps like this, one needs to question the internal caucuses that could be championing for better diversity or more striking maps, but don’t.
The math *to* those districts, that makes sense.
I do think packing and creating one minority district there can make the opportunities for other districts Dem dimishes.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:49 pm:
===If there’s not blame on the political establishment of the city, for changing the trajectory, where do you think the blame lies?===
You’d think with all that “bad” that a Republican could break out.
It’s like the Chicago complaint, yet, the Chicago GOP support Dem mayoral candidates.
Win elections. Being one that complains about “one party” yet the other party still can’t win…
- Downstate - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:53 pm:
“Being one that complains about “one party” ”
I’m not complaining about one party. I’m simply observing that it has consequences. Entrenched powers, for either party, tend to ignore the “front and center” issues, if they have relatively no risk of being displaced.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:55 pm:
Just stop and get back on topic. My bad for feeding a troll.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:55 pm:
===I’m simply observing that it has consequences. Entrenched powers…===
Those are called… excuses
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 12:56 pm:
Sorry, my bad too
- Downstate - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:01 pm:
To the topic….
The lost of population suffered by ESL is not unlike the population issue for Illinois. How do we, as a state, remain vibrant (attracting employers and population) to maintain our political position in DC?
ESL lost their political heft because they failed to address that very issue. Illinois, based on the 2020 census, has suffered a similar challenge, albeit to a much lesser degree.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:05 pm:
=== ESL lost their political heft because they failed to address that very issue. Illinois, based on the 2020 census===
So did rural downstate, so much so that Mary Miller is “seatless”.
Failing to address the downstate loss of population, as a whole, seems to be missing.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:08 pm:
To my point, specifically…
===Civil rights attorney Ami Gandhi, on behalf of the NAACP, said Black voters in a House district in East St. Louis that has been represented by a Black legislator since 1975 have been dispersed into adjoining districts in an effort to shore up white Democratic incumbents by “using Black population to offset Republican rural voters.”===
This adjoining districts are measurably larger in area too as an overall population decline speaks to region woes, not just local ones.
- Downstate - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:12 pm:
“Failing to address the downstate loss of population, as a whole, seems to be missing.”
Absolutely agree. Downstate, too, has got to figure out how to best promote the benefits of the region.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:15 pm:
===Downstate, too, has got to figure out how to best promote the benefits of the region.===
I’d probably stop the bad-mouthing of the state and city first, vote for budgets, infrastructure, give businesses a sense that downstate legislators actually like “Illinois” and don’t want a 51st state… I’d start there. Easy to do too.
- Downstate - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:20 pm:
“I’d probably stop the bad-mouthing…”
Yup, few if any seem to be pulling in the same direction. Real solutions are being tried. Bloviation, on either side, does nothing. Impactful, tested ideas are the best hope.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:12 pm:
The thread’s title reminded me of my grandfather from Mississippi who described a single Republican vote that popped up every presidential and congressional election in a neighboring county. The townspeople didn’t know for sure due to the secret ballot, but they thought they had figured out who it was. Well, the suspected Republican voter finally passed away, and he was persona non grata and had to be buried outside the county as no cemetery would accept the body.
Sure enough, next election, that same Republican vote appeared. LOL
- Jibba - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:33 pm:
===How do we, as a state, remain vibrant (attracting employers and population)===
The Supreme Court is going to hand us the solution. The day Roe is overturned, I’d be starting a multimillion dollar ad campaign to attract businesses to blue Illinois, a place where rights are upheld, water is available, transportation and education are great, and we are insulated from the worst of climate change. The polar opposite of red states. Let the young savvy entrepreneurs and tech bros vote with their feet.
- Blue Dog - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:40 pm:
a multimillion dollar ad campaign. I can see those billboards now.
- Chicagonk - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:55 pm:
I sympathize with the Dems argument, but that’s a slippery slope if applied nationwide.