Carbondale Reporter

An Illinois state senator whose committee assignments include redistricting in Southern Illinois is supporting the recent introduction of an act that would allow an independent commission to create Illinois legislative redistricting maps.

State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) supports Senate Bill 1325, known as the People’s Independent Maps Act, a measure introduced recently by several Illinois Senate and House Republicans. Legislators under current Illinois law may draw and approve a map by June 30. Under SB 1325, legislators may “recuse themselves from the map process,” a press release said. The legislation would apply only to the 2021 redistricting cycle.

“Every Illinoisan deserves to be represented in our democracy and an independent map drawn by the people for the people NOT by the politicians for the politicians is the best way to make their voices heard,” Bryant said in an April 2 Facebook post. “For too long, the people of Illinois have been deprived of this right, that’s why we have filed SB 1325, the People’s Independent Maps Act.”

Redistricting is a process that redefines “political geographic boundaries including representative districts, senate districts, and congressional districts,” the Illinois legislative redistricting website said.

“The State Constitution gives the General Assembly the responsibility for redrawing legislative boundaries every ten years,” the Illinois legislative redistricting website said. “According to the Illinois State Constitution: ‘In the year following each Federal decennial census year, the General Assembly by law shall redistrict the Legislative Districts and Representative Districts.’ ”

Bryant, who according to the Illinois General Assembly website is on the Redistricting-Southern Illinois committee, “represents the 58th Senate District which includes all or parts of Jefferson, Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, Monroe, Jackson, Union, and Washington counties.”

“Given Illinois’ longstanding history of gerrymandering, it is clear that steps have to be taken to fix our state’s broken redistricting system. Now is the time to remove politicians from the process and give voices to the voters who have been silenced for far too long here in Southern Illinois,” Bryant said on Facebook.

SB 1325 uses language from a constitutional amendment introduced in 2019 calling for an independent redistricting commission, a resolution that had “37 co-sponsors in the Senate,” the press release said. The House in 2016 passed a similar measure, the press release said.

“The People’s Independent Maps Act: Gives the Supreme Court the power to appoint sixteen independent, citizen commissioners to the Independent Redistricting Commission within 30 days of becoming law,” the press release said. “The makeup of the Commission would be required to reflect the ethnic, gender and racial demographics of the state. Party affiliation would be evenly split in addition to members without party affiliation. Legislators, state employees and lobbyists are prohibited from serving on the commission.”

Before adopting a plan, the commission would host at least 10 public hearings in Illinois, the press release said. At least four hearings would be hosted by the commission “after a map is proposed.”

“The commission will release a map within 30 days of receipt of the census redistricting data,” the press release said.

Over 75% of Illinois voters support an independent process of drawing election districts, the press release said.