From State Senator Craig Wilcox:
Two Former Obama Cabinet Members Form Coalition for Fair Maps
| Two former Obama Cabinet members, Bill Daley (former Obama Chief of Staff) and Ray LaHood (former Obama Transportation Secretary), are leading a new push to end gerrymandering in Illinois through a group called “Fair Maps Illinois”. At a recent news conference, they announced plans to place a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot to create an independent redistricting commission. The proposed commission would be barred from using political or voting data and would focus on compact, community-based districts while protecting minority representation. It would apply only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones. Illinois has faced criticism for its heavily gerrymandered maps, which earned a failing grade on Princeton University’s 2021 redistricting report. A similar reform effort was struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2016, and another legal challenge failed earlier this year. I have always been a supporter of fair maps, and have co-sponsored legislation that would take map-drawing out of the hands of politicians. These include SJRCA 04 from the 101st General Assembly and SJRCA 13 from the 102nd General Assembly. To put the amendment on the 2026 ballot, the group will need to collect at least 320,000 valid signatures. = = = = = Petitions can be downloaded here: |
They have to be printed on both sides, one for signatures, the back for the language of the proposed amendment.
