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Today’s quotable

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* Madeleine Doubek on redistricting reform…

The Illinois Fair Maps Amendment has a supermajority of 36 of 59 senators signed on as sponsors, including 19 Republicans and 17 Democrats. It’s supported by minority groups, farmers, business and good government advocates around Illinois.

Is it right that there’s all that support, but Illinois Senate President John Cullerton hasn’t assigned it to a favorable committee to be debated and voted on? […]

Illinois politicians shouldn’t meddle in our elections any more than Russians should. We deserve elections we can trust. We deserve to know our votes mean something. Let’s try a citizen redistricting commission.

The Russians?

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:20 pm

Comments

Deep insight and logic like that can get you a cable or radio yakker show.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:35 pm
Ah yes, the Russians. I would say they had a bit too much vodka when they were drawing some of the district lines.

Comment by A Jack Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:41 pm
If there’s anything new in this roundabout quote; someone go ahead and point it out.

Comment by A guy Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:43 pm
I’m not sure we could have elections without politicians meddling in them.

Can’t blame a dreamer for dreaming, though.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:43 pm
“Illinois politicians shouldn’t meddle in our elections..” Who will levitate above self-interest to give Illinois citizens a map that meet Doubek’s standards?

Comment by Steve Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:45 pm
Paraphrasing a line from Animal House: “Russians? Forget it she’s rolling.”.

Comment by Bogey Golfer Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:46 pm
We should do it if Wisconsin and Michigan do it at the same time. Why should IL Dems unilaterally disarm when the GOP has weaponized gerrymandering?

Comment by TominChicago Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:53 pm
I’m all for citizen’s committees if I can be on it. The larger questions are who chooses and how.

Comment by Jibba Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:53 pm
Pay to Play had even more sponsors, and Emil sat on that thing until late May. It’s not as easy as it looks.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 2:58 pm
“Why should IL Dems unilaterally disarm when the GOP has weaponized gerrymandering?”

^—- THIS

Comment by Anon E Moose Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:00 pm
why on earth would democratic leadership end gerrymandering

Comment by intern Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:08 pm
Does anyone want to break the news to her that legislators often will sign on to legislation when they’re confident that it won’t be called or have a chance of becoming law?

That’s only been going on since forever.

How many times did DC Republicans “repeal” Obamacare? Somewhere past 60.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:16 pm
The “citizen redistricting commission” is normally partisan. It will not solve any problems.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:25 pm
— why should IL Dems disarm…—

+1. Either nationally, or no freaking way.

Comment by Kippax Blue Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:25 pm
==The Russians?==

The infamous “Trump Dossier” allegedly contains a draft Illinois map that would include in every legislative district outside Cook County a part of Moscow large enough to give the Russians a 55% majority in that district. We would be ruled by the Madigan-Putin Axis.

Comment by Whatever Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:30 pm
Is it right that there’s all that support, but Illinois Senate President John Cullerton hasn’t assigned it to a favorable committee to be debated and voted on? […]
LOL
Jeez my clients would love to have our Bills assignedto “favorable “ committees…

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:32 pm
=Illinois politicians shouldn’t meddle in our elections any more than Russians should. We deserve elections we can trust. We deserve to know our votes mean something.=

Does she even know what she is talking about? She seems to be conflating election security and re-districting.

What will redistricting change visa vi the last election? Like it or hate it, Illinois is blue as it pertains to the concept of majority rule.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:44 pm
Regardless, how have we not progressed beyond the gross abuse gerrymandering we have here in 2019? Not sure how the other 23 can defend the current system on a genuine, non-self-interest, basis.

Comment by Shemp Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:52 pm
Oh dear. Madeline, thy name is Hyperbole. Equating Illinois politicians with the Russians is really too much.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 4:18 pm
Madeline must be missing her editors…

Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 5:12 pm
There should be NO reform of Congressional redistricting until it is done nationwide. For Illinois to do it unilaterally would do nothing but enable the Louie Gomerts of the world …

Comment by Anyone Remember Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 6:24 pm
Why should Illinois stop gerrymandering when some Republican states do?

1) Primaries - gerrymandering skews candidates, generally making them less centrists.

2) Principle - the idea that the outcome of your district should be predetermined and/or influenced by someone’s design is repugnant, full stop.

3) Has anti-gerrymandering made California more Republican? How about Arizona, which just elected a fairly liberal democrat to the senate to replace John McCain?

Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, Apr 23, 19 @ 8:33 am
Since TominChicago cited Michigan, they passed a Citizens Redistrciting Commision on the ballot in 2018. https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1633_91141—,00.html

That said, I still think it would be better if instead of a commission there was a math formula that ranked various proposals based on compactness, number of counties/municipalities/urbanized areas/urban clusters kept whole & achieving minority representation with the General Assembly first voting on whichever one the math formula ranked first.

Comment by 62656 Tuesday, Apr 23, 19 @ 8:59 am