McHenry Times

Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) told a Village of Oakwood Hills trustee that she should not speak about using specific data for the redistricting process because she did not understand what she was advocating for.

Reick's comments were in response to Oakwood Hills trustee Kristina Zahorik who spoke at the House Redistricting Committee hearing April 9 in McHenry County.

Zahorik is president of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs' Association.

"I'm going to echo what Leader Butler just said," Reick said. "Miss Zahorik, if you don't understand what the ACS is you shouldn't have advocated for it as a means by which we do redistricting in Illinois."

The trustee suggested that legislators "use the best data you have" to create fair maps and make adjustments when the census numbers become available. She blamed the delay on former President Donald Trump and that the setback wasn't legislators' fault.

The data to use that Zahorik was talking about, Reick said, was the American Community Survey.

Reick said Democrats want to use the survey data instead of following an already established process that outlines the redrawing process if the census data isn't available by a June 30 deadline. That process, he said, would require a commission of four legislators and four non-lawmakers plus a ninth person to be determined if needed to break a tie to decide the maps. The ninth person would be selected randomly.

"You have an obligation to understand what it is you're talking about before you get on board and tell us how to do this," Reick told the local trustee. "I believe, on behalf of the [Democratic] majority that's running this show, [wants] to avoid the possibility of getting a 50/50 draw and losing it at the very end of the process."

Census officials have said that they will not meet the June 30 deadline to provide the data used in the redistricting process.