Editorial: Beware misinformation campaign about election reform

A letter sent out last month challenging the drive for an Independent Map Amendment in Illinois would be funny if its origins weren't so steeped in Illinois' sadly partisan political tradition - and its implications not so ominous.

The proposed Independent Map Amendment is an effort supported by leading figures from both major political parties that proposes a new process for drawing the boundaries of legislative districts every 10 years. It is a comprehensive plan, forged through the efforts of scores of political, legal and constitutional experts and tempered through the experience - and court guidance - of a similar previous drive that fell just short of success last year.

The new movement, launched last April, has acquired more than a third of the 600,000 signatures it is seeking on petitions to put the plan before Illinois voters in November 2016. And this time, the entrenched power structure in Illinois isn't waiting around to mount a court challenge once the petitions are collected and filed. It's already firing salvos intended to erode public support for the movement and discredit its supporters.

Don't be fooled.

The letter in question was sent out to financial contributors and supporters of the Independent Map Amendment. Consider just a few of its laughable traits and provisions.

It is, for one, sent on the letterhead of an organization calling itself the People's Map, whose purpose, according to its Statement of Organization filed with the state Board of Elections in August, is simply to "support or oppose referenda regarding redistricting." A clear and noble goal that, eh? Contrary to the implication of its name, it has no map of its own to offer, people's or otherwise.

Among the letter's many preposterous claims:

• That the reformed map would "prevent minorities from electing the candidates of their choice." In fact, the map proposal goes to great lengths to emphasize its aim of strengthening minority-voting rights, including specific language requiring that districts "shall not dilute or diminish the ability of a racial or language minority community to elect the candidates of its choice."

• That states with independent commissions draw more-partisan maps than those whose legislatures do the drawing. The authors said this without apparent regard for the distinct meanings of "independent" and "partisan" and certainly without reference to the emerging experiences in states like Arizona and California, which although fairly new appear to show that independent commissions increase not only overall competitiveness of races but minority access to government as well.

• That redistricting is a partisan Republican effort. In fact, reform movements in other states have targeted power structures of both parties. The Illinois measure's supporters include prominent Democrats like former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, former U.S. Sen. Adlai Stevenson III and former chief of staff to President Barack Obama William Daley as well as hardly Republican-leaning organizations like Common Cause, the Better Government Association and the Illinois Public Interest Research Group.

This latter claim of partisanship is particularly sinister, coming in a letter whose signatories appear pulled from a Who's Who of Democratic Party insiders - including Chairman John T. Hooker, chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority; Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis; Service Employees International Union Healthcare President Keith Kelleher; and former CHA Chairman Elzie Higginbottom.

One hopes that an effort so lame and ludicrous will be greeted with the public scorn and skepticism it deserves. But even if it is, a pernicious foreboding lurks between the lines of this letter. It demonstrates the lengths to which Illinois' political elite will go to counter something that they see as a threat to their control of the machinery of government in Illinois. And something that, thankfully, is.

Don't let them succeed. Check claims about the Independent Map Amendment against the document itself at mapamendment.org, and, if you're so inclined, download a petition at mapamendment.org/print-petition.html and collect some signatures yourself. Crass political charades like this letter are what you'll be fighting.