Redistricting in Illinois after the 2010 census

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| Note: Redistricting takes place every 10 years after completion of the United States Census. The information here pertains to the 2010 redistricting process. For information on more recent redistricting developments, see this article.

|

Redistricting in Illinois

General information
Partisan control:
Democrat
Process:
Legislature first, Commission as backup
Deadline:
June 30, 2011 (legislature); October 5, 2011 (Back-up Commission
Total seats
Congress:

State Senate:

State House:
118

This article details the timeline of redistricting events in Illinois following the 2010 census. It also provides contextual information about the redistricting process and census information.

Illinois lost one congressional seat from the reapportionment after the 2010 census.[1] The state population increased from about 12.4 million to 12.8 million residents, a 3.3 percent growth.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Process
* 1.1 Role of the Governor
* 1.2 Redistricting commission
* 2 Leadership
* 2.1 Senate committee
* 2.1.1 Meetings
* 2.2 House Committee
* 2.2.1 Meetings
* 3 Census results
* 3.1 Latino population growth
* 3.2 City/County population changes
* 4 Congressional redistricting
* 5 Legislative redistricting
* 5.1 Legislation
* 5.2 Counting prisoners
* 5.3 Senate redistricting
* 5.4 House redistricting
* 6 Legal issues
* 6.1 Brady v. Madigan
* 6.2 Radogno v. Illinois State Board of Elections
* 6.3 Committee for a Fair and Balanced Map v. Ill. State Board of Elections
* 6.3.1 November 2011: Republicans seek injunction
* 6.3.2 December 2011: Map upheld
* 6.4 League of Women Voters v. Quinn
* 6.5 Schmidt v State Board of Elections
* 7 Timeline
* 8 History
* 8.1 2001 redistricting
* 8.1.1 Deviation from Ideal Districts
* 8.1.2 Lawsuits related to the 2000 Census
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
* 11 Footnotes

## Process[edit]

See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures

During the 2010 redistricting cycle, the Illinois General Assembly was responsible for redistricting. The deadline to complete a redistricting plan was June 30, 2011. If the General Assembly failed to meet the deadline, a back-up commission had to have a plan in place by October 5, 2011.

### Role of the Governor[edit]

When the Illinois Constitution was adopted in 1970 it included the creation of an amendatory veto for the governor. State constitutional experts said that this gave Gov. Pat Quinn (D) the ability to make changes to any map that was sent to him. However, it was thought that this would be unlikely, especially since Democrats controlled the process.[3]

### Redistricting commission[edit]

If the General Assembly failed to meet the deadlines to have a redistricting plan in place, a back-up commission would be used. Eight people were selected to draw the legislative and congressional boundaries[4]. The eight members were selected as follows:

* The President of the State Senate selected two members.
* The Speaker of the Illinois House Speaker selected two members.
* The House Minority Leader selected two members.
* The Senate Minority Leader selected two members.

No more than four members could from the same political party.[4] Each official was required to appoint oen legislator and one non-legislator.[4] If the Commission reached no agreement by the deadline, the Illinois Supreme Court would recommend two individuals who have no party affiliation to the eight members of the commission. It would be up to the Commission to select one person to be its ninth member that would break any tie votes[4].

The Illinois Constitution provided authority to the General Assembly in Section 3 of Article IV. If the General Assembly failed to enact a redistricting plan by the deadline, Section 3 allowed for the creation of a Legislative Redistricting Commission.

## Leadership[edit]

2011 was the first time under the state Constitution that one party controlled the state House, Senate, and governorship during redistricting.[5]

The Committee set up a website - IL Senate Redistricting.

### Senate committee[edit]

The Illinois Senate Redistricting Committee consisted of the following members:[6]

Democrats (10)

* Kwame Raoul Chairperson
* Michael Noland Vice Chairperson
* Mattie Hunter
* Jacqueline Collins
* Iris Martinez
* William Haine
* Emil Jones
* Edward Maloney
* Don Harmon
* Kimberly Lightford

Republicans (6)

* Dale Righter Minority spokesperson
* Shane Cultra
* Dan Duffy
* Kirk Dillard
* Matt Murphy
* David Luechtefeld

|

#### Meetings[edit]

The Senate redistricting committee scheduled five public hearings. In announcing the meetings, Chairman Raoul stated, “It’s my intent to hold further hearings after these five are wrapped up but more importantly I want to give the public ample notice to participate in our committee proceedings."[7] The committee was criticized for only holding meetings before proposed maps were drawn up, thus not allowing the public to comment on the possible changes before being voted on. To that end, Raoul said he intended to add at least two hearings after the map was drawn for just that purpose.[8] The following meetings were held:

* March 28 - Chicago[9]
* April 6 - Springfield[10]
* April 16 - Kankakee and Peoria[11]
* April 19 - Cicero
* April 21 - Carbondale and Elmhurst
* April 26 - Yorkville[12]
* April 28 - South Suburbs and Macomb
* April 30 - Northwest Suburbs and Chicago's Westside
* May 2 - Alton[13]

### House Committee[edit]

Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (D) announced the formation of the House Redistricting Committee on March 31, 2011. It consisted of the following members:[14]

Democrats (6)

* Barbara Flynn Currie Chairperson
* Edward Acevedo
* Marlow H. Colvin
* Lou Lang
* Frank Mautino
* Karen Yarbrough

Republicans (5)

* Mike Fortner Republican spokesperson
* Jil Tracy
* Chapin Rose
* Jim Durkin
* Tim Schmitz

|

Madigan also announced a new website for the committee. It included information on upcoming meetings along with census data.

#### Meetings[edit]

The House committee initially announced 15 public hearings around the state.[15] The following meetings were held:

* April 16 - Champaign, Cicero, and McHenry[16]
* April 18 - Aurora, East St. Louis, and Elgin[17]
* April 19 - Rockford, South Suburbs, and Waukegan[18][19]
* April 20 - South Chicago and Rock Island
* April 21 - Downtown Chicago, Joliet, and Peoria[20]
* April 25 - Springfield[21]

## Census results[edit]

On December 21, 2010, Illinois lost one congressional seat as the Census figures were released.[22] This reduced the state from 19 to 18 seats in Congress. Republicans won a majority of Illinois 19 congressional seats on November 2, 2010.

On February 14, 2011, the Census Bureau shipped Illinois' local census data to the governor and legislative leaders. This data would guide redistricting for state and local offices. The data was publicly available for download.[23]

### Latino population growth[edit]

The Illinois Latino population grew by 33% from 2000 to 2010, reaching 2 million. Meanwhile, the non-Latino population declined by 0.8%. Due to this growth Latino leaders called for strict compliance with the Voting Rights Act to ensure equal representation for the community. Arturo Vargas, Educational Fund Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, stated, "As Illinois now undertakes its 2011 redistricting, those who draw its maps must recognize Latino population growth by ensuring the new maps allow Latinos to effectively choose their elected leaders."[24]

### City/County population changes[edit]

These tables show the change in population in the five largest cities and counties in Illinois from 2000-2010.[25]

| City  | 2000 Population  | 2010 Population  | Percent change

|
|
|

Chicago  | 2,896,016  | 2,695,598  | -6.9%
Aurora  | 142,990  | 197,899  | 38.4%
Rockford  | 150,115  | 152,871  | 1.8%
Joliet  | 106,221  | 147,433  | 38.8%
Naperville  | 128,358  | 141,853  | 10.5%
|  | County  | 2000 Population  | 2010 Population  | Percent Change

|
|
|

Cook  | 5,376,741  | 5,194,675  | -3.4%
DuPage  | 904,161  | 916,924  | 1.4%
Lake  | 644,356  | 703,462  | 9.2%
Will  | 502,266  | 677,560  | 34.9%
Kane  | 404,119  | 515,269  | 27.5%

## Congressional redistricting[edit]

Figure 1: This map shows Illinois' congressional districts after the 2000 Census

House Democrats released a new congressional redistricting plan on May 27, 2011.[26] The Republican congressional delegation released a joint statement calling it “little more than an attempt to undo the results of the elections held just six months ago.”[27]

House Democrats approved a revised version on May 30, passing the bill 63-54. State Rep. Mike Fortner (R) said the changes were made two hours before a vote was taken, and that the public had no chance to review the map.[28] House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie said the plan was, "A good map, a solid map and certainly an eminently fair map."[29]

The Senate passed the map on May 31 by a margin of 34-25.[30] Gov. Pat Quinn signed the map on June 24, and issued a statement saying, "This map is fair, maintains competitiveness within congressional districts, and protects the voting rights of minority communities."[31]

According to an analysis by Politico, the new map threatened to cost the GOP up to five U.S. House seats. In the new districts, freshman Republicans Adam Kinzinger, Robert Dold and Bobby Schilling were drawn into Democratic-leaning districts, while Joe Walsh and Randy Hultgren could have been pitted against each other, and Tim Johnson was put into a newly competitive district in the southern Illinois. Republican consultant David From said of the map, “It’s kind of a work of art, in the wrong direction. There’s a lot of creativity. Whether you agree with it or not, Speaker Madigan has always been a smart politician.”[27]

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady called on Gov. Quinn to veto the maps. In a press release Brady quoted three statements from Quinn in which he pushes for a fair, open redistricting process and competitive districts. Brady said if Quinn was to live up to his words he must veto the maps.[32] Quinn signed the map into law on June 24, stating, "This map is fair, maintains competitiveness within congressional districts, and protects the voting rights of minority communities."[33] Republicans and the League of Women Voters both filed lawsuits, alleging the districts were unfairly redrawn in favor of Democrats.

## Legislative redistricting[edit]

### Legislation[edit]

The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation that would increase the number of public hearings for redistricting. Senate Bill 3976 would require at least four public hearings related to redistricting.[34]

SB 3976 contained a requirement that the new political maps must be drawn with crossover, coalition, and influence districts.[35] A crossover district is a district consisting of a racial or language minority that has less than a majority of the voting age population.[35] The minority could be large enough to elect their chosen candidate with the help of voters that are members of the majority and cross over to support the candidate. [35] A coalition district is defined as a district consisting of more than one group of racial or language minorities that could form a coalition to elect a candidate of their choosing.[35] The term influence district means a district where a racial or language minority can affect the outcome of an election despite their preferred candidate may not win.[35]

The State House approved the bill by a 67-46 vote on January 4, 2011.[36] The State Senate approved the bill by a 53-4 vote on December 1, 2010.[37] Senate Bill 3976 was sent to Governor Pat Quinn for his signature on January 13, 2011, and he signed it on March 7.[38][39] It was the first time in 40 years that the redistricting process in the state changed.[40]

SB 3976 was made up of two parts. The first, known as the Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011, was aimed at keeping special communities of interest from being divided. Leaders from Chicago's Chinatown lobbied for the legislation in order to keep their voting power from being diluted. During the last redistricting cycle following the 2000 census, the area was divided into three state Senate districts, four state House districts, and three congressional districts. The bill was symbolically signed in Chinatown.[41] Quinn stated, “For many, many racial minorities and citizens who come to our state who want to be part of our democracy, it’s important that the remapping and the redistricting lines be done in a fair way, and that’s what this law is all about.”[5] Some critics contended that the law would only exacerbate the already irregular boundaries of many state districts.[42]

The second part of the bill, the Redistricting Transparency and Public Participation Act, provided for four public hearings around the state in order to hear from the public on existing districts. Many open government groups said that this simply did not open up the process enough. Whitney Woodward of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform testified about the bill when it was being considered, stating, “Public comments and involvement is needed to look toward future, not retrospective, maps. This bill does not provide for discussion of draft districting plans. Furthermore, there is no requirement that the public have an opportunity to review and comment on maps after the committee approves a plan, but before it goes to the floor for a vote.”[43]

Another point of contention was that there were only four meetings. Sponsors of the bill, Sen. Kwame Raoul (D) and Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D), responded to the criticism by saying that four is the minimum mandated by the legislation and that they would push for more.

These tables show the state Senate districts with the most and least population following the 2010 census.[44] The target population for new districts was 217,468.[45]

| Most populated senate districts  | Incumbent  | 2010 Population

|
|

42 (Plainfield)  | Linda Holmes (D)  | 337,625
25 (Aurora)  | Chris Lauzen (R)  | 332,979
32 (Crystal Lake)  | Pamela Althoff (R)  | 254,707
43 (Crest Hill)  | Arthur Wilhelmi (D)  | 252,892
41 (Lemont)  | Christine Radogno (R)  | 250,942
| Least populated senate districts  | Incumbent  | 2010 Population

|
|

20 (Chicago)  | Iris Martinez (D)  | 187,878
7 (Chicago)  | Heather Steans (D)  | 188,147
17 (Chicago)  | Donne Trotter (D)  | 189,200
3 (Chicago)  | Mattie Hunter (D)  | 189,367
14 (Chicago)  | Emil Jones (D)  | 190,871

These tables show the state House districts with the most and least population following the 2010 census.[44] The target population for new districts was 108,734.[45]

| Most populated house districts  | Incumbent  | 2010 Population

|
|

84 (Plainfield)  | Tom Cross (R)  | 202,008
50 (Yorkville)  | Kay Hatcher (R)  | 178,899
49 (Geneva)  | Timothy L. Schmitz (R)  | 154,080
81 (Monee)  | Renee Kosel (R)  | 142,036
85 (Romeoville)  | Emily Klunk-McAsey (D)  | 139,496
| Least populated house districts  | Incumbent  | 2010 Population

|
|

6 (Chicago)  | Esther Golar (D)  | 86,931
25 (Chicago)  | Barbara Flynn Currie (D)  | 91,147
2 (Chicago)  | Edward Acevedo (D)  | 91,849
4 (Chicago)  | Cynthia Soto (D)  | 92,536
40 (Chicago)  | Deb Mell (D)  | 92,752

### Counting prisoners[edit]

In January 2011, Rep. LaShawn Ford introduced legislation that aimed at ending prison-based gerrymandering. Known as the Prisoner Census Adjustment Act, it would require census figure to be adjusted in order to count prisoners at their pre-incarceration address rather than in the district where they are imprisoned. As it stands, someone who serves just a two-year prison term would be counted as a resident of the prison for the next 10 years.[46]

One of the groups pushing for this reform was the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations. They argued that the process unfairly increased the power of voters in districts that include prisons. As an example in Illinois, they cited Lawrence County, whose population grew by 9% since 2000. A large percentage of that, however, had to do with the creation of the Lawrence Correctional Center, which opened after the 2000 census. Lawrence was to be redistricted into 7 county board districts made up of 2,407 residents each. The Correctional Center holds 2,358 prisoners, which means the district that it is in would have only 49 residents who could vote. This gave the votes of these 49 greatly disproportionate power.[47]

New York, Delaware, and Maryland had all recently passed laws outlawing prison-based redistricting.

### Senate redistricting[edit]

Democrats released proposed maps of the 59 state Senate districts on May 19, 2011.[48] Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said the proposal "follows the law and it's fair and it follows the Voting Rights Act as well as the new law we passed, the Illinois Voting Rights Act."[49] Republicans said the maps would likely guarantee a Republican minority for the next decade. The new lines merged a number of Republican districts, potentially leading to matchups between incumbents in at least 4 districts.

One of those affected was Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, who saw her district merged with freshman Sen. Ron Sandack. Radogno called the map partisan, saying, "In other years there has been a map put out and changes have been made to it. I don't know if that will be the case or not, but we're really just trying to digest it all right now."[49] Districts were also merged between Republicans Tom Johnson and John Millner, David Luechtefeld and Kyle McCarter, and Tim Bivins and Christine Johnson.[50]

The maps and details of the proposal can be found on the Senate Redistricting Committee website. Public hearings on the maps were held in Chicago on May 21 and in Springfield on May 24.

Republicans released their counter-proposal on May 26, saying their map was fairer.[51] It can be seen here. The Senate passed the Democrats' plan by a vote of 35-22.[52] Gov. Pat Quinn signed the bill on June 3, but Republican leaders filed a federal lawsuit on July 21, alleging the legislative maps unfairly targeted Republicans and discriminated against African-Americans and Hispanics.[53][54][55]

### House redistricting[edit]

Democrats released proposed maps of the 118 state House districts on May 20. Steve Brown, a spokesman for Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, said, “It follows the law. That’s what I know. That’s the way it’s always been done.”[56] The House held a public hearing on the maps on May 22, the same day they released population data on the new districts.

Republicans were unhappy that the new districts would position over a dozen Republican incumbents against one another. House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie acknowledged that partisanship was a factor, stating, “Yes, partisanship does play a role in the drawing of House and Senate districts, but while we believe this plan is politically fair, we don’t deny that partisan concerns from time to time played a role.”[57]

The proposed map created 16 districts with an African-American voting-age population over 50% and 11 with a Latino population over 50%, whereas there were at the time 18 majority-black and 8 majority-Latino districts.[58]The United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations said additional minority-minority districts could have been created, especially with the rise in Latino population.[57] To that end, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund testified that the maps violated the Voting Rights Act.[59]

The proposed maps are available on the House Redistricting Committee website.

Republicans released their counter-proposal on May 26, saying their map was fairer.[60] It can be seen here. The Democrats plan passed the House 64-52.[52] Gov. Pat Quinn signed the bill on June 3, but GOP leaders filed a federal lawsuit on July 21 alleging the legislative maps unfairly targeted Republicans and discriminated against African-Americans and Hispanics.[53][54][55]

## Legal issues[edit]

### Brady v. Madigan

Illinois GOP Chair Pat Brady and the state Republican Party filed a lawsuit on May 11, 2011, asking the Supreme Court to declare the redistricting process tiebreaking provision in violation of the state constitution. Additionally, the suit sought to stop the legislature from finishing redistricting until the court declared a ruling.

In the past, ties were broken by drawing a name from a hat. In 2011, however, Democrats had the numbers to pass a map without any Republicans. Brien Sheahan, general counsel for the Illinois GOP, said the suit was filed when Republicans began to see how Democrats were drawing the map. He stated, “The court could certainly supervise an expedited process that would be more open, more transparent, that would produce fairer districts.”[61]

Oh June 15, the Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear the case.[62]

### Radogno v. Illinois State Board of Elections

Republican Senate leader Christine Radogno and House Republican leader Tom Cross filed a federal lawsuit on July 21, 2011, seeking to invalidate the legislative maps drawn by Democrats. They alleged the new maps unfairly targeted Republicans and violated the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against African-Americans and Hispanics, as well as violating the state constitution's compactness requirement.[63][64]

According to the suit, "The bizarre shapes of several districts … is in furtherance of a deliberate attempt to enhance Democrats' prospects for re-election and target Republicans to prevent their re-election," while many districts "slither across traditional lines in order to place multiple incumbent Republicans into one district."[55]

The case was to be heard by a three-judge panel in U.S. District Court. If successful, either parts or the whole of the map could have been redrawn.[65]

In September, the organization African Americans for Legislative Redistricting asked to be added as a defendant to the case. The coalition of civil rights groups helped Democrats in drawing the new boundaries.[66]

On December 7, a federal panel threw out the suit, dismissing charges of racial gerrymandering and dilution of Latino voting strength. Radogno issued a statement saying, "We will carefully review our options. Our goal of providing all Illinois citizens a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice for the next decade remains. The map crafted by the majority particularly weakens the ability of minority voters to exercise their voting rights. This opinion could further weaken their position."[67]

### Committee for a Fair and Balanced Map v. Ill. State Board of Elections

Illinois Republicans filed suit against the new Congressional districts in July 2011, arguing they violated Hispanic voting rights and were severely gerrymandered. In September, plaintiffs asked a federal court to force the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to produce documents requested in a subpoena. They sought to discover what role the national Democratic Party played in drawing the new district lines.[68]

An order issued by a three-judge federal court panel in October allowed Republicans to find out the identities of experts and consultants used by Democrats when redrawing the lines. The panel also ruled that lawmakers and their staff were immune from providing documents that were not based on objective facts.[69] The decision stated, "Full public disclosure would hinder the ability of party leaders to synthesize competing interests of constituents, special interest groups and lawmakers, and draw a map that has enough support to become law. This type of legislative horse trading is an important and undeniable part of the legislative process."[70]

#### November 2011: Republicans seek injunction

The Illinois Republican Party filed a request for a permanent Federal injunction on November 4, 2011, seeking to prevent the new Congressional districts from being implemented.[71] Citing emails and other correspondence between Democratic state party leaders and national leaders, Republicans claimed they worked together to create a map favorable to Democrats. Republicans argued that the new map was unconstitutional as it was politically gerrymandered and diluted Latino representation.[72]

Court hearings began on November 17 and ended the next day.[73] The fate of the suit would be determined by three federal judges.[74] On November 22, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow pushed back the filing deadline for candidates wishing to run for U.S. House to December 23–27. If the suit was not resolved by December 21, the deadline would be moved again.[75]

#### December 2011: Map upheld

On December 15, 2011, the federal court panel hearing the case said they agreed with the Republican complaint that the map was politically motivated to increase Democratic congressional seats, but said Republicans did not present a workable standard for evaluating the claims. The court also rejected the argument that the map diluted Latino voting strength, stating Republicans failed to present enough evidence that the legislature intentionally sought to discriminate against Latinos.[76]

With the suit resolved, candidate filing for congressional races began on December 23 and went through December 27.[77] The original deadline had been December 5, but had to be moved back due to the then pending lawsuit.

### League of Women Voters v. Quinn

The League of Women Voters of Illinois filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Gov. Pat Quinn on August 16, alleging the new legislative maps were not drawn fairly. President Jan Dorner said the maps should be drawn for the voters, not the parties.[78]

The suit argued that Democrats violated the First Amendment by using partisan voting information to redraw district boundaries, stating, "The General Assembly and governor have unlawfully selected residents to speak, debate, assemble and vote in these districts based upon their political viewpoints and opinions, without safeguards against the misuse of such criteria to regulate or abridge First Amendment rights for partisan ends."[79]

On October 28, 2011, the three-judge U.S. District Court panel dismissed the case.[80]

### Schmidt v State Board of Elections

The Illinois Green Party filed a lawsuit on October 24, 2011, seeking to retain its qualified party status in the U.S. House and state legislative districts where it received 5% of the vote in November 2010. Under state law, any party receiving at least 5% automatically qualifies for the next election in the district. However, the state argued that, due to redistricting, the qualified status did not apply.[81]

## Timeline[edit]

Illinois 2010 Redistricting Timeline

Date  | Action
December 21, 2010 | State informed of the number of Congressional Seats on the 2010 Census.
March 1, 2011 | Expected date to receive complete Census data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
April 1, 2011[82] | Final deadline to receive Census data.
April 5, 2011[83] | Last consolidated elections in drawn boundaries.
June 30, 2011[4] | Deadline for the Illinois General Assembly to have a redistricting plan in place.
July 10, 2011[4] | Deadline to have a Redistricting Commission formed.
October 5, 2011[4] | Final deadline to have a redistricting plan in place.
March 20, 2012[84] | First statewide primary election in newly created wards.
November 6, 2012 | First general election in newly created legislative and congressional boundaries.

## History[edit]

Redistricting in Illinois was generally representative of the state's population during its early history as the population was the only basis for representation in both houses. The 1869-70 constitutional convention aimed at reducing sectional partisanship and came up with the unique solution of cumulative voting. Under this system, voters could divide three votes however they saw fit among candidates in each of the state's three member House districts. This was to last until 1980 when voters abolished the system while also reducing the House from 177 to 118 members.

From 1818 to 1901 the Illinois State Legislature successfully redistricted on schedule 14 times. During this time, Cook County grew to such an extent that legislators realized that, if districts continued to be allotted by population, Cook would soon be able to elect a majority in both chambers. To this end, the legislature did not reapportion again until 1954.

In that year, Gov. William Stratton was able to convince the legislature to present a reapportionment amendment, which voters approved. This amendment created a new set of conditions for redistricting. First, it increased the House from 51 districts electing 153 representatives to 59 districts and 177 representatives. Secondly, it provided for permanent Senate districts based on area. Eighteen were given to Chicago, six to suburban Cook County, and 34 to downstate. This effectively assured downstate control of the upper chamber. Thirdly, the new rules said that if legislators failed to redistrict, a 10 member bipartisan commission appointed by the governor would assume the task.

In 1955, both chambers successfully redistricted themselves and the governor approved the plans. This was the first change in state legislative districts in 54 years. In 1963, the House argued over how many districts would be transferred from downstate to northern areas. When they finally did pass a plan, the governor vetoed it, leading to the first use of the 10 member commission. The commission also failed to agree on a plan before their tenure expired, and the 1964 elections saw all 177 House members elected at large.

In 1965, the state legislature again failed to enact a redistricting plan. The state Supreme Court then assumed jurisdiction over Senate redistricting, with House redistricting being handed over to another commission. The court's plan for the Senate gave Cook County a majority of seats in the Senate for the first time and the commission successfully passed a plan for the House. The legislature failed once again in 1971 and the task went back to a commission. The commission was able to pass a plan that was used from 1972 to 1980.[85]

In 1980, the redistricting commission was first formed.[86] In 1981, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund sued the State of Illinois alleging that the lines drawn after the 1980 Census would have prevented voter turnout in Hispanic wards in the City of Chicago.[87]

In 1990, the Illinois Supreme Court threw out a 1989 judicial redistricting law that allowed appellate courts to be drawn further into sub-districts. The state's highest court heard the case on allegations that appellate court sub-districts were gerrymandered in favor of certain ethnic communities in Cook County, Illinois.[88]

### 2001 redistricting[edit]

#### Deviation from Ideal Districts[edit]

2000 Population Deviation[89]

Office  | Percentage
Congressional Districts  | 0.00%
State House Districts  | 0.00%
State Senate Districts  | 0.00%
Under federal law, districts may vary from an Ideal District by up to 10%, though the lowest number achievable is preferred. Ideal Districts are computed through simple division of the number of seats for any office into the population at the time of the Census.

#### Lawsuits related to the 2000 Census[edit]

There were 10 lawsuits related to the Illinois 2000 census redistricting process.[90]

* Hastert v. State Board of Elections, No. 91 C 4028 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 20, 2001) : On June 1, 2001, the day after Governor of Illinois George Ryan signed into law a new congressional redistricting plan based on the 2000 census, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and two other Republican House members petitioned the federal court in their 1991 case to approve the new map for use in the 2002 elections.

* Phelps v. State Board of Elections, No. 01-MR-15 (1st Cir. Saline Co., complaint filed June 4, 2001) : Congressman David Phelps and others alleged that the act which redrew congressional districts violated the Illinois Constitution's Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of Article I, § 2, along with the requirement of Article IV, § 3(a), that “Legislative Districts shall be compact, contiguous and substantially equal in population.” The complaint sought a declaration that the law was invalid and an injunction against its use.

* Alexander v. Ryan, No. 92002 (Ill. Aug. 22, 2001), reconsid. denied (Ill. Sep. 5, 2001) : Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file an original action in the Illinois Supreme Court was denied.

* Barnow v. Ryan, No. 01 C 6566 (N.D. Ill. Sep. 17, 2001) : Plaintiff challenged in state court the tie-breaker provision for appointing the ninth member of the Legislative Redistricting Commission under the Illinois Constitution. Defendants Attorney General, Secretary of State, certain members of the Legislative Redistricting Commission, and certain members of the State Board of Elections filed a notice removing the case to federal court. Plaintiff moved to remand the case to state court, arguing the Attorney General did not have the consent of all defendants for the removal and that the constitutionality of the tie-breaker provision should be decided by the state court. A three-judge federal court denied the motion.

* Currie v. Ryan, No. 92341 (Ill. Sep. 19, 2001) : Petitioners’ motion for leave to file an original writ of mandamus in the Illinois Supreme Court was denied.

* Legislative Redistricting Comm’n v. White, No. 92454 (Ill. Oct. 23, 2001) : Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file a complaint for declaratory relief was denied.

* Winters v. Board of Elections, No. 01 C 50229, and Barnow v. Ryan, No. 01 C 6566 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 20, 2001), aff’d 535 U.S. 967 (Apr. 1, 2002) (No. 01-1114) (mem.) : Plaintiffs challenged the tie-breaker provision for appointing the ninth member of the Legislative Redistricting Commission. The court upheld the tie-breaker provision as being a reasonable attempt to encourage the members of the commission to compromise and agree on a plan. The court found the framers of the 1970 constitutional amendment that added the tie-breaker provision had a rational basis for doing so.

* Cole-Randazzo v. Ryan, No. 92443 (Ill. Nov. 28, 2001) : Plaintiffs alleged that the redistricting plan adopted by the Illinois Legislative Redistricting Commission could have been more compact. The court rejected the challenge, saying that the plaintiffs had failed to carry their burden of showing that the plan adopted by the commission was against the manifest weight of the evidence.

* Beaubien v. Ryan, No. 92701 (Ill. Dec. 27, 2001) : Plaintiffs alleged that the redistricting plan adopted by the Illinois Legislative Redistricting Commission could have been more compact. The court rejected the challenge, saying that the plaintiffs had failed to carry their burden of showing that the plan adopted by the commission was not reasonably compact.

* Campuzano v. Board of Elections, No. 01 C 50376, 200 F. Supp.2d (N.D. Ill. May 3, 2002) : The complaint alleged that the legislative redistricting plan drawn by the Illinois Legislative Commission on Redistricting violated §2 of the Voting Rights Act by failing to draw a sufficient number of Senate and House districts in which the candidate elected would be the choice of either African-American or Latino voters. The court held that plaintiffs had failed to carry their burden of proving that the plan did not provide African-Americans effective opportunities to elect candidates of their choice.

## See also[edit]

* State Legislative and Congressional Redistricting after the 2010 Census
* State-by-state redistricting procedures
* Draw the Line Midwest

## External links[edit]

* Illinois Senate Redistricting Committee
* Illinois House Redistricting Committee
* New districts at GovTrack.us
* Tool to compare old and new maps

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ CBS Chicago, "Illinois Stands To Lose 1 Congressional Seat In Redistricting," December 21, 2010
2. ↑ The Daily Journal, "Census: Cook County losses slow Illinois population growth ," February 15, 2011 (dead link)
3. ↑ Illinois Statehouse News, "Quinn has powerful tool in redistricting," April 4, 2011
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, "2010 NCSL Redistricting Law Guide (dead link)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 IllinoisWatchdog.org, "Minorities could have more influence in new political map," March 7, 2011
6. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Redistricting committee members," accessed February 22, 2011
7. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "First hearings on redistricting scheduled by Democratic senators," March 18, 2011
8. ↑ Illinois Government News Network, "Lt. Governor Simon calls for map hearings," April 14, 2011
9. ↑ WBEZ, "As Illinois redistricting begins, public gets say," March 28, 2011
10. ↑ State Journal-Register, "Springfield hearing on redistricting attracts little interest so far," April 2, 2011
11. ↑ Peoria Journal-Star, "Public seeks redistricting input," April 16, 2011
12. ↑ Beacon News, "Public takes a pass on Senate redistricting forum in Yorkville," April 27, 2011 (dead link)
13. ↑ The Telegraph, "Senate panel holds last hearing on redistricting," May 2, 2011
14. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "House Redistricting committee members," accessed March 31, 2011
15. ↑ Illinois Redistricting, "Public Hearings," accessed April 1, 2011
16. ↑ Northwest Herald, "People voice ideas for redistricting," April 17, 2011
17. ↑ Courier-News, "Legislators gather in Elgin to hear the public’s remap wishes," April 19, 2011 (dead link)
18. ↑ Rockford Register Star, "Openness, fairness top wish list for Illinois redistricting," April 20, 2011
19. ↑ Highland Park Patch, "Redistricting Process Comes to Northern Suburbs," April 20, 2011
20. ↑ East Peoria Times-Courier, "Unes pleased with redistricting hearing results," April 26, 2011
21. ↑ Hispanically Speaking News, "Illinois Latino Agenda Calls for 20 Latino Districts, Releases Proposed Maps," April 25, 2011 (dead link)
22. ↑ "Illinois loses Rep to faster growing parts of the country," Illinois Statehouse News, December 21, 2010
23. ↑ Census Bureau Newsroom, "Census Bureau Ships Local 2010 Census Data to Illinois," February 14, 2011
24. ↑ prnewswire.com, "Latinos Fuel Illinois Population Growth," February 17, 2011
25. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Illinois Custom tables 2010," accessed February 16, 2011
26. ↑ Illinois Statehouse News, "Illinois Democrats unveil new congressional map," May 27, 2011
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Politico, "Illinois Republicans brace for bloodbath," June 2, 2011
28. ↑ Illinois Statehouse News, "Illinois House give OK to congressional redistricting map," May 30, 2011
29. ↑ The Daily Journal, "House passes new Ill. congressional map," May 30, 2011
30. ↑ Huffington Post, "Illinois Redistricting: Democrat-Backed Maps Head To Quinn's Desk, Threaten Republican Gains," May 31, 2011
31. ↑ Huffington Post, "Illinois Redistricting: Quinn Signs Plan To Add Democratic Seats," June 24, 2011
32. ↑ Pantagraph, "Quinn should veto unbalanced district maps," June 3, 2011
33. ↑ The News Gazette, "Quinn signs new map; Republicans cry foul," June 24, 2011
34. ↑ News-Gazette, "Redistricting changes sent to governor" 5 Jan. 2011
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 "Redistricting Changes Afoot In Springfield Progress Illinois, "Redistricting Changes Afoot In Springfield" 5 Jan. 2011
36. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Vote Summary on SB 3976" 4 Jan. 2011
37. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Vote Summary on SB 3976" 1 Dec. 2010
38. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "History of SB 3976 (2010-2011)"
39. ↑ Huffington Post, "Illinois Redistricting Law: Quinn Signs Bill To Require Public Input, But Is It Enough?" March 7, 2011
40. ↑ CarmiTimes, "Ethics and Illinois: an oxymoron?" February 7, 2011
41. ↑ The Republic, "Gov. Quinn to sign redistricting legislation in Chicago's Chinatown that protects minorities," March 7, 2011
42. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Illinois' wacky way of redistricting," March 14, 2011
43. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Quinn expected to sign redistricting legislation in Chinatown," March 7, 2011
44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 WBEZ, "Redistricting the General Assembly: The last decade's big gainers and losers," February 16, 2011
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 The News Gazette, "Most legislative districts in area are larger than redistricting targets," February 18, 2011
46. ↑ STL Today, "Lawmakers argue over prisoners in Illinois census count," March 29, 2011
47. ↑ Prisoners of the Census, "Prison-based gerrymandering is a problem for all Illinoisans, especially for those in counties near prisons," March 15, 2011
48. ↑ IL Senate Redistricting Committee, "Senate Redistricting Proposal," May 19, 2011
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Chicago Tribune, "Democrats release legislative redistricting maps," May 19, 2011
50. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Map of new Illinois districts released after secret deliberations," May 19, 2011
51. ↑ Quad-City Times, "Republicans unveil their own redistricting plan," May 26, 2011
52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Chicago Tribune, "Senate Dems send new legislative map to governor," May 27, 2011(Archived)
53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 The News-Gazette, "Map awaits Quinn's signature, may face Republican court challenge," May 29, 2011
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 My FOX Chicago, "Gov. Pat Quinn Signs Off on New Illinois Legislative Maps," June 3, 2011
55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Chicago Tribune, "Assembly GOP leaders sue over Democrats' redistricting map," July 21, 2011
56. ↑ Lake County News-Sun, "State House Democrats reveal new legislative map," May 21, 2011
57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Chicago Tribune, "Democrats defend House redistricting plan," May 22, 2011
58. ↑ Huffington Post, "Illinois Redistricting 2010: Democratic Maps Could See Vote This Week," May 23, 2011
59. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Latino group says Dem redistricting plan violates election law," May 24, 2011
60. ↑ Quad-City Times, "Republicans unveil their own redistricting plan," May 26, 2011
61. ↑ Daily Herald, "Illinois GOP files suit challenging remap process," May 12, 2011
62. ↑ All About Redistricting, "Illinois," accessed September 15, 2011
63. ↑ Daily Herald, "Illinois GOP challenges Democrats' political map," July 21, 2011
64. ↑ Suburban Life, "Lawsuit filed to invalidate 2011 Legislative map," July 20, 2011
65. ↑ WBEZ, "Republicans sue over Illinois legislative remap," July 20, 2011
66. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "African-American groups seek to defend Democratic map in court," September 12, 2011
67. ↑ The Republic, "GOP lawsuit over new Illinois legislative map tossed; congressional challenge still pending," December 7, 2011
68. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Illinois Republicans, to Help their Redistricting Lawsuit, Demand to Know Role of National Democratic Party Involvement," September 12, 2011
69. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Remap ruling could cut against Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee," October 14, 2011
70. ↑ Courthouse News Service, "Court Shields Legislative 'Horse Trading' in Illinois," October 21, 2011
71. ↑ Examiner, "Illinois GOP accuses outsiders of rigging remap," November 7, 2011
72. ↑ My FOX Chicago, "IL Republicans Say DC Democrats Influenced New Congressional Map, Redistricting Invalid," November 7, 2011
73. ↑ Roll Call, "Between the Lines: Arguments in Illinois GOP Case Begin in Court Today," November 17, 2011
74. ↑ The Washington Examiner, "Trial ends in Illinois redistricting lawsuit," November 18, 2011
75. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Judge postpones U.S. House filing deadline," November 23, 2011
76. ↑ BusinessWeek, "Illinois Republicans Lose Challenge to New Congressional Map," December 16, 2011
77. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Federal court upholds Democrats' map of Illinois congressional districts," December 15, 2011
78. ↑ ABC 7, "League of Women Voters sues of remap," August 16, 2011
79. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "League of Women Voters sues over new legislative maps," August 17, 2011
80. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Illinois League of Women Voters May Ask U.S. Supreme Court to Find that First Amendment Bars Gerrymandering," November 11, 2011
81. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Illinois Green Party Files Lawsuit to Save its Qualified Status in 4 U.S. House Districts and 6 Legislative Districts," October 25, 2011
82. ↑ Population Reference Bureau, "2010 Census Deadlines
83. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "2011 Calendar
84. ↑ Bloomington Pantgraph, "Illinois primary date moving to March in 2012," March 17, 2010
85. ↑ Policy Archive, "Reapportionment Politics: The History of Redistricting in the 50 States," Rose Institute of State and Local Government, January 1981 (pg.98-106)
86. ↑ Brennan Center, "Guide to Redistricting
87. ↑ The Telegraph-Herald, "Hispanics Challenge Illinois Redistricting, October 30, 1981
88. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Court was right to ax judicial redistricting," July 5, 1990
89. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, “Redistricting 2000 Population Deviation Table”," accessed February 1, 2011
90. ↑ Minnesota State Senate, "2000 Redistricting Case Summaries"

v • e

Redistricting after the 2010 census

State-by-state|

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Overviews|

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