Fair Map exposes need for reform

Kane County Chronicle
May 12, 2010

The Illinois Fair Map Amendment did not make the Nov. 2 ballot, but supporters have no reason to hang their heads.

The five-month campaign to gather petition signatures generated surprising support for the grass-roots effort to reform Illinois' broken legislative redistricting process.

The League of Women Voters of Illinois deserves accolades for coordinating this huge citizen initiative. Fair Map Amendment supporters, such as the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Farm Bureau, and other groups, worked hard to educate the public and gather signatures.

The Fair Map Amendment also attracted support from many newspaper editorial boards across the state, including this one.

Along the way, thousands of people were educated about the abuses of Illinois' redistricting system, particularly how it elevates the interests of politicians above those of the people. When politicians use a mechanism of government to draw self-serving maps that benefit themselves and their parties, it's not merely a conflict of interest. It is corruption, plain and simple – another example of Illinois' sleazy political culture that tarnishes the state to this day.

And when the crooked lines of those gerrymandered maps run rampant through counties, cities and neighborhoods, the result is a confusing mess that only a dazed, drunken, visually impaired mapmaker – or a partisan politician – could love.

We're pleased that the Fair Map petition drive made redistricting reform a major issue as it exposed Illinois' terrible redistricting process, whose infamous tiebreaker consists of drawing a name from a hat.

We're pleased that more than 120,000 Illinois voters cared enough about redistricting reform to sign their names to petitions demanding it.

While 120,000 is far short of the 288,000 valid signatures necessary, the number is not bad for a five-month petition campaign. On average, 24,000 signatures were collected each month. Had the campaign sustained that pace for 12 months, exactly 288,000 signatures would have been collected.

Think about it. If the next campaign is launched 18 months in advance of the petition deadline – the maximum allowable time frame – it's well within the realm of possibility that the required number of signatures could be collected.

League members say they are not giving up, particularly after the rough verbal treatment they received at the hands of the Democratic-controlled Senate Redistricting Committee. These politicians don't want to give up the power to redraw districts next year, after the final 2010 Census figures arrive.

Several weeks ago, a Democratic-backed redistricting reform proposal failed in the Legislature. "Reform" is a generous term for the amendment, which would have kept politicians in charge of drawing the maps.

With no changes coming for 2011, politicians might think their redistricting worries are over. We're not so sure. Politicians will be under extreme public scrutiny during next year's redistricting process. If a new Fair Map Amendment drive is launched during that time, it could attract renewed support from Illinoisans who are repulsed by unfairly drawn maps.

We believe an independent commission, as proposed by the Fair Map Amendment, would have a much better chance of drawing fair, compact and contiguous districts that respect minority rights and traditional county and city boundaries.

In the meantime, what's a reform-minded voter to do?

Keep a watchful eye on the upcoming redistricting process.

Ask legislative and congressional candidates about their stances on open and fair redistricting.

Put pressure on candidates to support redistricting improvements, such as increased public input and scrutiny, and refuse to support politicians who back the status quo.

Realize that the redistricting reform effort against intractable politicians might take a long time.

While 2010 won't be the year of redistricting reform, it might have laid the groundwork for future success. 2012 isn't that far away. The second time could be the charm.