Tom Cullerton: Why I support Independent Maps

Unfortunately, partisan politics won out when the Independent Maps Initiative was ruled unconstitutional in a Cook County court. Fortunately, the voices of the more than 500,000 people that signed the petition to place the initiative on the ballot will be heard when attorneys appeal the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court. I support amending our constitution to make the process of redrawing maps more balanced and less partisan.

I have already taken a stand on this issue by helping pass the senate's version of the remapping initiative. Putting an independent commission in charge of updating our legislative maps will create more competitive elections, give voters more choices, and hold public servants accountable to their constituents. People should choose their politicians, not the other way around.

I represent a politically diverse constituency, unlike many of my colleagues, in both parties, whose districts are carefully drawn to ensure victory. In order to represent a district like mine, a legislator must be willing to reach across the aisle and work with people of all political persuasions. I have come to believe that if more legislators represented districts like mine, compromise, bipartisanship, and good government would be much more common.

Our state is in need of reform across the board. We must put an end to the backroom deals that allow legislators to draw their own districts and keep themselves in power. Independently drawn districts will hold lawmakers accountable to the people that they represent. The initiative does not benefit any one party or special interest over others. It is an initiative to ensure good government for all Illinoisans.

-Tom Cullerton