Illinois has gained national attention for its wildly gerrymandered congressional maps. Last month, Illinois Democrats’ hypocrisy was on full display when they rolled out the red carpet for Texas Democrats in their failed efforts to avoid voting on gerrymandering legislation in their home state, despite Illinois having among the most politically-drawn congressional and legislative districts in the country.
Still, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is trying to pull out all the stops to grab the House Speaker Gavel in 2027 – and thinks Illinois can help him. Jeffries has been meeting behind closed doors with Illinois Democrats to try to convince them to further gerrymander Illinois’ congressional maps to squeeze out every Democrat district possible, at the expense of millions of Illinoisans who are already disenfranchised by politically-drawn maps.
Illinois House Republicans have been fighting the Democrats’ illegal maps for months. Earlier this year, House Republicans filed a lawsuit with the Illinois Supreme Court to declare the current map unconstitutional and ask for a special master to draft a redistricting plan that complies with the Illinois constitution. The lawsuit was dismissed at the Circuit Court level and a Notice to Appeal has been filed with the Fourth District Appellate Court.
Last week, Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie discussed the need for fair maps, saying, “For decades, Illinois voters have been silenced by heavily gerrymandered maps that let politicians choose their voters instead of the other way around. Although past attempts to reform the system were blocked by the Democratic majority, a new initiative launched this week marks a promising step forward.
“We need an independent redistricting process—one that amplifies voters’ voices and strengthens our democracy.
“Since the Governor failed to keep his promise to the people of Illinois, the Fair Map Illinois Initiative now stands as our best path toward meaningful change.”
The idea of fair legislative maps is gaining traction in the court of public opinion, which could be why even Democrats in Illinois fear that further gerrymandering districts could lead to struggles at the ballot box. Recently, two Illinois former elected officials revived a bipartisan effort to end partisan gerrymandering in legislative districts.
Republicans and Democrats agree – political gerrymandering is wrong. Join House Republicans efforts to finally ensure that voters get to select their elected officials – not the other way around. Add your name to the petition today.