July 23, 2009

A hearing on gerrymandering reform that had been delayed twice before, is finally set to be held July 29, in Chicago.

Senator Cronin explained gerrymandering is the practice of drawing legislative district boundaries to give an advantage to a particular candidate or party. Illinois has been sharply criticized for its system of drawing state legislative and congressional district boundaries because it allows politicians to pick their voters, rather than allowing the voters to pick their representatives.

The hearing, initially set for July 15, was first pushed back to July 22, before finally being posted for the 29th.

Cronin said that reforming the state’s system of drawing legislative district boundaries is essential to address the excessive partisanship and lack of accountability that has plagued Illinois state government. Many reform proponents fear that by consistently pushing back redistricting hearings, legislative leaders who benefit from partisan gerrymandering are purposely undermining genuine reform efforts. Proponents of redistricting reform argue that restoring accountability to Illinois government must begin with the most basic function of democracy – elections. And, to assure fair and competitive elections it is vital to take the politics out of drawing legislative and congressional districts.

It is unknown whether these delays will impact other redistricting hearings, which were originally scheduled to take place in Peoria in August, Carbondale in September and Springfield in October.