Rep. Reis: Real Redistricting Reform Denied by House Democrats

April 29, 2010

Springfield, IL.…After contentious debate over the course of the past few months, State Representative David Reis (R-Ste. Marie) said that giving the residents of Illinois a chance to change the way legislative district boundaries are drawn is not likely to be passed by the General Assembly this year.

"This is one more example of the ‘it’s our way or the highway’ mentality on the majority side of the isle and their way only perpetuates the power of Illinois remaining in the hands of one party rule and secures Speaker Madigan’s 40 year reign in the House,” Rep. Reis said.

On Thursday, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 121 was defeated among strong opposition from House Republicans. The proposal also drew criticism from Governor Quinn who stated “he doesn't see the proposed changes ‘as moving the ball forward all that much’ and worries districts will be crafted to protect sitting lawmakers instead of reflecting a particular geographic area,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Redistricting reform, under the Fair Map Amendment, would have brought real change to Illinoisans. Under the Democrats plan today, representatives will be picking their voters rather than voters picking their representatives,” said Rep. Reis.

House Republicans favored a more far-reaching reform plan dubbed the “Illinois Fair Map Amendment.” The Fair Map Amendment, also know as House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 56, was crafted by a number of good government groups including the League of Women Voters, the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Better Government Association.

“SJRCA 121 only advances the agenda of the politically powerful and further silences the voters of this state. I am proud to stand with Senator John O. Jones in opposing the measure.”

Endorsed by nearly every editorial page throughout the state, the Illinois Fair Map Amendment drastically changes the current gerrymandered system of drawing district boundaries. The key to reforming the remap process is removing the inherent conflict of interest of incumbent politicians drawing the most favorable district boundaries to ensure their reelection, which is exactly what the Fair Map Amendment accomplishes. SJRCA 121 would continue allowing politicians the ability to draw their own maps while using past voting records and incumbent addresses in their criteria.