A road map to restoring trust in Illinois government

Illinois residents continue to be bombarded by headlines of Democrat lawmakers being investigated and indicted. With each new development, the public's trust in Springfield is shattered. We need to restore the people's faith in their state government, and we can begin doing that by changing how we draw legislative districts.

Gerrymandered districts are designed to shut out the opposing party. In 2012, the Illinois Democrats' map allowed them to win 40 seats in the Illinois Senate (out of 59) and 71 seats in the Illinois House (out of 118). They were able to do this by securing only 52 percent of the vote total in House districts and 54 percent of the vote total in Senate districts.

Let me put it this way. If the maps were drawn to reflect the true will of voters, and created in a nonpartisan manner, then Illinois Democrats should have only won of 62 House seats rather than 71 (52% of all members) and 32 Senate seats rather than 40 (54% of all members).

These skewed results occur because powerful software and detailed, block-by-block voter data enable redistricting plans that give one party huge partisan advantages that survive shifts in voter preferences and demographics. In the 2012 Illinois general election, all but 16 of the state House and Senate district races won by more than 55 percent. In short, partisan gerrymandering is not about policymaking but rather the tool used by one party to preserve power at the expense of another.

I truly believe the power the Democratic Party has to draw this supermajority, gerrymandered map is the root of the corruption we are now witnessing. They do not feel accountable to anyone because of their ability to control every facet of the state legislature. They control the budget making process, sometimes giving the public only minutes to review a budget before voting upon it. They also decide what legislation gets a hearing, and which ideas get buried forever in a subcommittee designed to silence an issue.

Furthermore, the idea that the speaker of the House and the Illinois Senate President draw maps in their interests without representing the people's interest is just wrong, and that power needs to be given to the people. I believe this, and so does Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who during the 2018 gubernatorial campaign said, "We should amend the Constitution to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps, and I have supported this effort for years. In the meantime, I would urge Democrats and Republicans to agree to an independent commission to handle creating a new legislative map."

There is currently a measure in the Illinois Senate that would place the question of fair maps on the ballot for the next statewide election. If approved, this measure would establish an independent redistricting commission, increase transparency in the process and provide for public hearings to allow Illinois residents to weigh in on the issue. This measure has bipartisan support and enough sponsors to pass it out of the Illinois Senate. The time to act is now.

For too long, the people of Illinois haven't had a voice in this process - it's time to change that. By advancing this legislation and getting this resolution on the ballot, we're putting the power to bring about change in the hands of the voters where it belongs.

State Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, represents Illinois' 44th District.