SE Illinois News

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of American life in the past year, and people, businesses and government are still recovering from the upheaval.

One of the many areas affected was collecting and processing data from the 2020 census, leading some to argue the state of Illinois should delay drawing legislative maps until the information is available.

CHANGE Illinois, a nonpartisan nonprofit that champions ethics and efficiency in government and elections in the state, says fair and accurate maps drawn by unbiased people are crucial to reform in Illinois.

Currently, the plan is to complete the maps by the end of June, even though the census data won’t be available until September. Critics say efforts to reform the mapping process, long used by former Speaker Mike Madigan and other entrenched figures to hold onto power in the state, will fail without accurate information.

The House Redistricting Committee met at the Peoria Civic Center on March 22, although most people who took part did so virtually. It was one of numerous meetings held across the state this spring.

State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) said collecting correct data is crucial in allowing the region to “maximize our federal funding." Delays in gathering data is frustrating, Spain said.

Tri-County Urban League President Laraine Bryson agreed, saying a fair and accurate count will bring more resources to the community.

Madeleine Doubek, executive director of CHANGE Illinois, said while it’s a positive sign that more hearings will be held before the district maps are released, there is still a need for more transparency, greater public outreach and complete data for the mapping process.

“Lawmakers have presented us options that are confounding and will not guarantee a fair process nor equitable maps,” Doubek said.

She said instead of pushing ahead and crafting inaccurate and unfair maps, the Illinois Legislature could ask for a court ruling to await the census data, or create an independent commission to draw them.

The Chicago Tribune editorial board said Democrats in Springfield already had maps drawn and the public hearings will not change much if any of the borders.

“It raises the question of what purpose these hearings actually serve,” Doubek said. “We need more accountability in this process we need to ensure that the maps produced prioritize federal and state voting rights acts and protect the communities of interest you are hearing from today. The people of Illinois need and want lawmakers to make it clear in state law that districts were created without prioritizing incumbents or candidates from either party whether it's for their benefit or their harm.”

Political maps in Illinois have been drawn with a close eye on which party can place enough of its voters within its boundaries. That was a tool Madigan used for four decades to garner more and more authority over state government, and his allies were quick to turn back efforts to alter how the maps were created, critics argued.

Chicago has long been known for “creative” political districts, with ward boundaries created to favor incumbent politicians regardless of geographical or community regions. Efforts to place the mapping authority in the hands of an independent commission have been fiercely opposed.

Burton Raabe of Peoria said the current process was in many ways meaningless, which causes people to grow cynical.

“We know the districts have been drawn in Springfield by legislators in consideration with keeping power, so that’s just an example,” Raabe said.

House Assistant Minority Leader Tim Butler (R-Springfield) said he understood Raabe’s point and thinks many people don’t know how or why district lines are drawn.

On April 19, Butler called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to testify before a joint hearing of the Senate and House redistricting committees. During his 2018 campaign for governor and after taking office, Pritzker said he would not allow an unfair map to take effect.

“Gov. Pritzker has repeatedly said he does not support a partisan redistricting process, but he has remained troublingly silent about the current partisan process being carried out by majority party Democrats,” Butler said. “Now is the time for the governor or a high-level member of his staff to come forward and testify before the redistricting committees and prove his commitment to fair, non-partisan redistricting. The people of Illinois deserve to know if the governor will keep his pledge and veto the partisan-drawn map the Democrats send him.”

At the Peoria meeting, state Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) said he has long enjoyed coming to Peoria. He is in his first term representing the 117th District.

“Since 1976 I've been coming to a cross-country meet in Peoria so I get to come to Detweiller Park, eat a little Agatucci’s pizza on Friday nights,” Severin said.

He said he was glad to take part in the hearing to hear the various perspectives. Severin said he appreciated “all of your concerns and love and passion for your community.”

Severin’s district includes Williamson County, Franklin County and a portion of Hamilton County.