McLean County Times

State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) can’t see how Democrats can justify standing in the way of the People’s Independent Maps Act.

“Numerous Democrats put their names behind legislation that’s identical to what we’re proposing here,” Barickman told WMBD News. “Millions of Illinoisans believe that politicians should not draw their own maps; politicians should not pick their own voters.”

Barickman and a growing number of other Republican lawmakers insist the answer lies in the passage of the People’s Map Act, which would put Illinois Supreme Court members in charge of appointing a 16-member panel of “independent citizen commissioners,” to handle the once-a-decade task.

While the job typically goes to the party in control, the state constitution currently dictates that if a new map is not completed by a June 30 deadline, a bipartisan commission with four members from each party chosen by party leaders would handle redistricting.

Due to a delay in federal Census Bureau data, the most accurate and updated data is not expected to be available until several months after the deadline has passed.

Earlier this month, Barickman launched a petition where he declared “It's time for Illinois to finally end the practice of partisan gerrymandering” and asked voters to sign their names to the bipartisan undertaking.  

Illinois has long been known for its history of gerrymandering, which many critics argue leaves voters with a muted say in who comes to speak for them them and can often lead to corruption in government.