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By
Kevin Bessler | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – A new report that highlights the
redistricting process in the U.S. gives Illinois the worst grade
in the country.
The anti-gerrymandering group Common Cause gave Illinois an “F”
grade, citing a lack of public participation that has routinely
gotten in the way of producing political maps reflective of the
state’s demographics. The state was sued for a version of their
maps, with allegations of prioritizing partisanship over Black
Illinoisans impacted by the drawn districts.
In one lawsuit, the East St. Louis Branch of the NAACP argued
that in the Metro East area, concentrated areas of Black voters
were split into three separate House districts solely for the
purpose of protecting white Democratic incumbents.
Common Cause graded each state for its state level
redistricting. Some states received a second grade for their
local redistricting process in cases where advocates provided
data.
“Our overall concern was that at the end of the day, it is the
politicians drawing the lines and not the folks who they seek to
represent,” said Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause
Illinois.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker admitted that gerrymandering is a concern.
“This is a national problem,” Pritzker said Wednesday evening.
“If you’re going to solve redistricting and the problem of
redistricting, you have to do it at the national level.”
The other states receiving a failing grade in the report were
Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
“After a close look at all 50 states, this report shows more
community voices produce better maps,” said Dan Vicuna, Common
Cause national redistricting director.
The report found that independent citizen commissions on
redistricting were significantly more likely to seek public
input, and integrate it into voting maps.
“Moving forward, it is critical that we center Illinoisans in
the process by making it easier for people to participate and
have their voices heard,” Young said.
The report was authored by Common Cause, Fair Count, State
Voices, and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
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