League of Women Voters: Redistricting Reform Needed to Shake Up Illinois
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform is mentioned in this article
via Rockford Registe Star
“According to Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, only 39 percent of eligible Illinois General Assembly races are contested. This means that in November, 61 percent of Illinois voters will not have a choice in who represents them in Springfield.
The incumbents will return to office without having been challenged. By contrast, the citizens of California will have a choice of representation in 79 percent of their races. What could account for such a dramatic difference? We suggest that the heart of the problem is the political gerrymandering that Illinois legislators use to their advantage every 10 years.
Each time the census is taken and released, our legislators use the information to carve Illinois into pieces that serve a particular legislator’s or political party’s needs. Our politicians use elaborate demographic data schemes to fashion Illinois into districts that are advantageous to them. Counties, cities, even neighborhoods are divided in ways that dilute numerous groups of voters. While legislators ensure the “safety” of their seats, any incentive to work together vanishes.”
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