McHenry Times

Veteran state Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) recently posted a list of grievances against the Democrats' redistricting legislation.

“The process is a joke and the majority party knows it,” Wilcox posted on Facebook. “Republican-leaning counties and communities have been splintered into several districts to provide those in power with greater control. Under the current proposal, McHenry County will have six different state representatives. The city of Crystal Lake will have four different state representatives and three different senators.”

Wilcox isn’t the only Republican lawmaker expressing outrage. State Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) is demanding that Gov. J.B. Pritzker veto the legislation as soon as it arrives at his desk.  

“Moments ago, the House voted 73-43 along party lines to pass the Democrats’ partisan-drawn maps for the State of Illinois,” Keicher posted on Facebook. “I share the sentiments Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) expressed tonight. Politicians should not be drawing maps. Period. I join those urging Governor Pritzker to stand by his campaign promise and veto this bill.”

Republicans contend Democratic lawmakers drew up the maps in secret with the sole intention of keeping themselves in power.

The new legislation comes in response to lawsuits from Republican lawmakers and the American Legal Defense and Education Fund who argued previously drawn maps were “flawed and unconstitutional because they were based on population estimates from the American Community Survey rather than the 2020 census.”

With the latest census data collected now readily available, Democrats say the maps will be adjusted as needed when the legislature reconvenes in Springfield.

Typically, lawmakers have counted on Census Bureau data to complete the task of redistricting, but with the release of this cycle’s data slowed by the lingering effects of COVID-19, Democratic Party leaders relied on American Community Survey data to satisfy the guidelines of a June 30 deadline outlined in the state constitution.

Failure to meet the deadline would have automatically led to the creation of an eight-person, bipartisan commission to complete the job with a ninth person to be randomly selected to break any deadlocked votes.