Elections update continues Democrat control of redistricting, Republican
says
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[June 22, 2021]
By Greg Bishop
(The Center Square) – Mark election day
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, as another state holiday to the calendar for
schools to be closed.
That’s just one of many elements in a broad election law change the
governor enacted Friday that includes delaying the primary day by
several months.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 825, which brings about a host of
changes. He praised the measure, saying it “articulates the rights of
Illinois citizens to vote by mail, allows those awaiting trial to cast
their ballots, and makes a state holiday of Election Day 2022.”
That echoed much of what state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said,
who before the measure passed, described aspects of the measure as
modernizing and updating election law.
“It’s telling people that voting matters, voting is important, and
voting is how your voice is heard and we recognize that by making it a
state holiday,” Stuart said.
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The law does not make the primary election a state holiday, but it does
delay it from March 15, 2022, to June 28, 2022.
State Rep. Ryan Spain said the measure is not about voter empowerment.
On the floor during debate about the bill, he said it's a veiled move by
Democrats to continue control of the map-making process.
“We have to pass the map now for the legislature, it has to be now,”
Spain said, critical of majority Democrats passing and the governor
enacting statehouse boundaries. “But unfortunately for our congressional
delegation, we’re going to wait, because the Democratic congressional
delegation in the state of Illinois has said we want to wait until we
get the Census.”
Republicans and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
have separately filed lawsuits against Democrats for rushing legislative
redistricting maps through. They claim Democrats used inaccurate data by
relying on estimates from the American Community Survey.
“And we’re going to move the primary now so that we have plenty of time
to draw the congressional map when the Census is delivered,” Spain said.
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![](../images/062221PIX/news_a55.jpg)
State Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford,
state Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, and state Rep. Katie
Stuart, D-Edwardsville, debate Senate Bill 825 on May 31.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure Friday.
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Spain also criticized part of the law that injects using ACS data for
population.
“‘Population’ means the number of inhabitants as determined by the last
preceding federal decennial census,” the law now states. “For the
reapportionment of 2021, ‘population’ means the number of inhabitants as
determined by the county board by any reasonable method, including, but
not limited to, the most recent American Community Survey 5-year data.”
State lawmakers are expected to return to the capitol this summer when
full Census data is released to approve Congressional boundaries, with
Illinois losing a seat.
The measure goes beyond the days of the 2022 elections. Practically, it
also tasks county clerks and election officials with a variety of
things.
Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said the measure gives sheriffs the
option of setting up polling places in county jails, but he doesn’t see
that being widespread in more rural counties.
“We have close working relationships with our sheriffs to already
facilitate the opportunity to vote-by-mail for those that are pre-trial
detainees,” Gray said.
Gray said he doesn’t see options such as curbside ballot drop-off or the
requirement to allow permanent mail-in balloting status increasing
costs, but it will help counties better prepare.
“But it’s nice to know that it’s there just in case the environment
dramatically changes like we’ve witnessed in the last couple election
cycles,” Gray said.
The last two elections were during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a
variety of last-minute procedure changes like allowing universal mail-in
balloting.
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