One Way to Help Illinois

This column runs the risk of being boring (“So what’s new?” readers wonder) because we  have been here before. But the topic of redistricting reform is important. It represents the one  fundamental thing you can do to refresh Illinois politics, say its backers. 

In Illinois, members of the state legislature draw their own districts, and as a result in the  last election, 97 percent of incumbents who ran for re-election won; most ran without opposition. Surprised? We call it a process in which legislators select their voters rather than vice  versa. 

In California, in contrast, a scrupulously independent commission draws the lines,  without regard to political party or incumbency. As a result, in 2014, half the members elected to  the legislature there were new. 

Illinois civic leaders have embarked on a “third time’s a charm” effort to create in our  state a system similar to that in California.  

In 2010, the League of Women Voters mounted an under-powered effort to do this, yet  failed. In 2013-14, a coalition of civic groups tried again, yet the effort came up short again,  primarily because of a botched petition drive. 

Now, a broad coalition that includes the League, the Farm Bureau, AARP, the Latino  Institute, former governor Jim Edgar, and some deep-pocket contributors is at it again, and I  predict the well-organized and well-funded effort will succeed in getting the issue on the ballot  next year.

The present drive is different from the last one. In 2014, scores of thousands of petition  signatures, many gathered in the brutal cold of winter when fingers were stiff, were successfully  challenged as illegible. 

This time the petition from the Independent Map Amendment group asks voters to  include both a signature and a printed version of one’s name. And the drive organizers are  validating the names of signers as petitions come in. 

But it won’t be a walk in the park. About 300,000 valid signatures are needed. The  reformers are shooting for 675,000 signatures to ensure a more than adequate number of  unchallengeable signers. 

And this time volunteer petition circulators are being buttressed by paid professional circulators, who earn $2-3 a signature. Almost 300,000 signatures have been gathered thus far,  and the drive has until May of next year to turn in the fruits of its labor. 

As in the past, rather shadowy opposition, this time called the People’s Map, has  developed (I couldn’t find a website for the group on Google Search), probably encouraged as in  the past by three-decades-long Speaker of the House Mike Madigan. 

The opposition basically says a new system will hurt minorities and boost Republicans.  As to the first charge, the proposed constitutional amendment emphatically prohibits  discrimination. As for hurting Democrats, I can understand why Madigan might be worried. 

In 2014, Democrats tallied half the votes for legislators, according to a friend of mine  who toted up the numbers, yet—again, surprise—Democrats have 60 percent of the seats in the  House and two-thirds of those in the state Senate. 

This is called gerrymandering. For example, if you look closely at the House districts  drawn for Chicagoland, you see gnarled fingers that reach out from Chicago (heavily Democrat) into suburbs (less so) to pick up enough voters to make a district and still keep it Democratic,  and in the hands of incumbents. 

Recently I observed a meeting of the Peoria League of Women Voters at which Cindi  Canary, the pert, feisty and skilled executive director of the independent map drive, rallied the  mostly-older but enthusiastic troops. 

“Illinois is in a rough spot,” declared Canary. “Voters have lost confidence in Illinois. We  want to give Illinois politics back to the voters.” The crowd cheered. 

Canary directed those who might want to circulate a 10-line petition for the redistricting  drive to go to mapamendment.org where one can download a petition. However, the petition  must be printed on both sides of a single sheet, so if that is a problem the drive will send you  petitions, said Canary. 

A new redistricting system that takes incumbency-protection out of politics won’t cure all  that ails us in Illinois, but it will be a good shot in the arm, say backers.