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Final arguments filed by Independent Maps

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Last week, the Independent Map Amendment presented its final brief to the Illinois Supreme Court. In this brief, attorneys for Independent Maps argued that the lower court ruling against the redistricting reform amendment is contrary to both the intent of the 1970 Constitution and the plain language of the constitution’s provision allowing voters to propose amendments.

Independent Maps citied the record from the 1970 Constitutional Convention, which shows that the delegates who drafted and approved the initiative provision regarded redistricting as one of the “critical areas” the initiative process was intended to address because legislators are unlikely to propose needed reforms on their own.

A delegate to the 1970 Convention also weighed in with an Op-Ed in the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week. Here’s what he had to say:

The 1970 Constitutional Convention intended the initiative provision to open up the redistricting process and provide a way for citizens to act directly in proposing a specific constitutional amendment for voters’ ratification.

The Illinois Supreme Court should reject the numerous technical objections conjured up against this initiative by self-interested advocates and allow the voters to give the proposal and up or down vote in November.

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Tuesday, Aug 16, 16 @ 8:52 am

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