Governor calls for Redistricting

Governor calls for Redistricting

James Thorpe

In an Op-ed released on September 16, 2016 Governor Bruce Rauner sought to seek support for the Independent Map Amendment. The Independent Map Amendment (IMA) was a redistricting proposal that was recently struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court. The IMA would give the power for voters to have a say in how political districts are drawn up because under the current system all the power is given to politicians to determine how their districts are drawn up. In Governor Bruce Rauner’s Op-ed written for The State Journal Register he writes that “Our current system allows career politicians to draw spaghetti-shaped districts for their own benefit and to protect incumbents. In the upcoming election alone, two-thirds of incumbents are running unopposed because of how their district is drawn.”. Governor Rauner says that this is causing the exodus of Illinois citizens because “Instead of voters having a say in who represents them, we have career politicians who have been controlling how votes are counted for 20, 30 and even 40 years.” He says that democracy is not supposed to be controlled by those in power but rather give the power to the people. Governor Bruce Rauner’s call for support of the amendment is because it is not partisan and doesn’t exclusively target one party but would help every citizen of Illinois be able to vote for people who they want instead of being stuck with the same politicians for 20 years or more. According to the IMA’s website

“By adopting the Independent Map Amendment, the redistricting process in Illinois will:

•Produce Illinois House and Senate districts drawn without regard to incumbency or partisanship;

•Attract more candidates for the General Assembly and more competition for legislative seats, resulting in more choices for voters;

•Protect the voting rights of racial and ethnic minorities and prohibit drawing maps that dilute or diminish the ability of racial or language minority communities to elect the candidates of their choice;

•Respect communities with shared interests and avoid breaking through political and geographic boundaries; and

•Allow the public to view and participate in redistricting. Illinoisans deserve legislative elections where issues are debated, candidates listen to their constituents and voters have choices.”

Governor Bruce Rauner ends his Op-ed with one last call to support by saying “When the General Assembly reconvenes this fall, they should put political reform — term limits and independent redistricting — at the top of the legislative agenda so that incumbents aren't locked into power and democracy is restored through competitive general elections. Give the people of Illinois the chance to be heard. In order to get that done, that means we need your help. I encourage everyone to call your state senator and representative. Tell them you want the General Assembly to pass redistricting reform in the fall veto session so we can fix our broken political system and restore democracy in Illinois.”