McLean County Times

State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Elmhurst) is calling on Democrats to be frank and to the point in laying out what they see as fairness when it comes to map redistricting.

“What is your definition of fairness,” Rezin told Fox News.  “We’re advocating that the Democrats use the census data to redraw our districts. Currently, because census data not available until August, they’re using an estimated data that simply is not accurate.”

Rezin argues such an approach stands to leave everyone with a distorted view of what the state truly looks like.

“The fact that my colleagues say they’re drawing a map according to gender and diversity and all that is hilarious because these maps are being drawn as we speak,” she added. “The only way they can do it is if they have the census data that is reflective of these districts.”

Rezin isn’t alone in demanding a change in the process.

Speaking during a recent League of Women Voters event, Change Illinois Executive Director Madeline Doubek recently blasted the state’s long-held practice of gerrymandering as “a form of voter suppression.”

Doubek added it’s long past time that lawmakers in Springfield joined forces to draw state voting maps in a way that is reflective of the state’s true makeup.

“We need to end gerrymandering together,” she said in a video posted to YouTube. “It is going to be a challenge. It has been a challenge for many years."

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are now pushing proposed legislation known as the People's Independent Maps Act as the only solution. The measure would completely remove lawmakers from the job of redrawing maps and give the state Supreme Court the power to appoint 16 independent citizens to a redistricting commission within 30 days of passage.

“There’s a process that’s been in place for many years but we’ve also talked about an independent commission,” Rezin added.  “We’ve had bills since 2016 to call for an independent commission that is chosen by the state Supreme Court, but we’ve never been allowed a vote.  We still have time, if that doesn’t happen then a commission of nine members will go through the process.  Let’s get it right, let’s go through the maps and draw these districts.

Legislative redistricting occurs every 10 years, soon after the census population data is updated. As it is, the majority legislative party sets the new map.