Grundy Reporter

With Illinois politicians currently looking at how to divvy up the state’s voters among representative districts, Republican lawmakers in March introduced legislation to take the politics out of the process with an independent commission.

The People’s Independent Maps Act, Senate Bill 1325, would direct the state Supreme Court to appoint 16 members to a maps commission required to reflect Illinois' ethnic, gender and racial demographics. 

State Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) said in an April 5 Facebook post that this is a once-in-a-decade opportunity.

“[April 5], I participated in a committee hearing on redistricting that considered regional communities and their boundaries,” Haas said. “The map-making process in Illinois must be fair and transparent. Polls have shown that more than 75% of Illinois voters support an independent process that puts citizens in control of drawing election districts instead of politicians.”

Under the proposed law, each of the state's leading parties during the previous election for governor would have seven members, with the remaining two commissioners appointed from among independents. 

As part of removing the commission as far as possible from politicians' hands, the members would also be required not to have recently served in any elected or appointed state, federal or local government position, with the same being applied to any immediate family members.

If passed, the act would empower the Supreme Court to make appointments to the commission within 30 days, meaning the current maps process would be moved from the hands of state-level politicians to the commission in time for the current redistricting.