Fight continues against gerrymandering

In 2020, nearly half of all Illinois state legislative races were completely uncontested. This means that the people representing Illinoisans weren't chosen by the people; they're just the only individuals in their districts who bothered to file for candidacy.

Back in 2018, 82% of races were uncompetitive, meaning that the winning candidate got more than 55% of the vote. Often, this is the result of "deep" red or blue districts. The existence of these in itself is not a problem; the problem arises when lawmakers are able to draw the lines to choose what voters vote for their seat.

This process, known as gerrymandering, seems pretty explicitly bad for democracy; it's like if we allowed bank robbers to design vaults, or allowed corporate interests to design tax policy.

The Fair Maps Amendment, drafted by over 30 organizations in the Illinois Redistricting Collective, has been sponsored by members of both parties in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. Polls have found that as many as 75% of Illinoisans support the amendment, which would through a variety of means strip power from sitting legislators to draw their own district lines.

The amendment was struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2016, but the fight for a fair democracy continues; this and measures like it, as well as those that combat undemocratic redistricting processes, need much more exposure and public support.

If you're concerned about the democratic process and the ability of politicians to choose their own voters, call your representatives in the Illinois General Assembly to let them know you support the Fair Maps Amendment and an end to partisan gerrymandering.

Emmet Ebels-Duggan

Evanston