Supporters of a drive to change how Illinois’ political maps are drawn are celebrating Monday’s Supreme Court decision on gerrymandering.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can remove partisan politics from redistricting. The justices upheld the constitutionality of Arizona’s independent redistricting commission: Arizona and California have created the commissions by voter referendum. They are independent groups tasked with redrawing Congressional boundaries, a job usually left to the political party in charge in each state.
Cynthia Canary is the executive director of the Independent Maps Coalition in Illinois. She says the ruling erases any doubt about the constitutionality of the independent commissions, which her group is pushing for. She says their petition drive to put The Independent Map Amendment before voters is continuing “full speed ahead.”
The Independent Map Amendment would create a diverse 11-member panels from throughout the state to work together to draw Congressional maps without partisanship.
