Communities of Color Demand More Time to Shape IL District Maps

Senior Counsel Ami Gandhi (above) and Reverend Robin Hood of UCCRO (below) testify at the redistricting hearing.

In May of this year, the Illinois General Assembly voted to pass a set of new maps that will determine the shape of state voting districts for the next 10 years. Although the Voting Rights Act requires that district lines be drawn in a way that does not dilute the power of Black voters and other people of color, lawmakers didn’t bother to incorporate input from those communities, giving little notice and even less data about their proposed maps. Chicago Lawyers’ Committee raised alarms alongside other advocacy groups about the unfair and non-transparent redistricting process. Nevertheless, the maps were passed and signed into law.

This month, the US Census Bureau finally released its data, providing the demographic data needed for legislators to adjust their maps and protect communities of color in accordance with state and federal voting rights laws. However, legislators are once again rushing the process, holding hearings before releasing a proposed or draft map that communities can react to. 

Chicago Lawyers’ Committee submitted testimony and spoke before lawmakers during this week’s hearings, joining community leaders organized by the non-partisan United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations (UCCRO).

“Communities of color  have said loud and clear throughout these hearings that we are uncomfortable with this year’s redistricting process, and we do not feel reassured that our rights are being respected,” said Senior Counsel Ami Gandhi.  

Other speakers including Jay Young of Common Cause IL, Dr. Dilara Sayeed of the IL Muslim Civic Coalition, and Roberto Valdez of the Latino Policy Forum asked for more time to examine the proposed maps and ensure that they do not further dilute the influence of disenfranchised neighborhoods and communities. 

>> Read more coverage of the hearing in The Daily Herald, The Daily Line, and The Center Square