Metro East Sun

Citizens, instead of politicians, should control the process of redrawing election districts under legislation supported by Illinois Rep. David Friess (R-Red Bud).

"Public polls have shown more than 75% of Illinois voters support independent redistricting," the legislator said in a Facebook post. "The People's Independent Maps Act offers a fair, transparent map-making process that puts citizens in control of drawing election districts instead of politicians."

The Chicago Tribune labeled the once-a-decade redistricting process in Illinois "a raucously partisan exercise complicated even further this time around by federal census delays."

Under the legislation supported by Friess and other Republicans, the Illinois Supreme Court would appoint a 16-member independent commission to redraw the lines. Lawmakers, state employees and lobbyists would be barred from serving.

The Illinois Constitution requires the Legislature to create new legislative maps every decade by June 30 of the year after the U.S. Census is taken.

"If there ever was a time for us to do something which is bold, which is correct, which will give people of Illinois confidence that we are about changing Illinois in a dramatic fashion, this is the place to do it," State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) said, the Sun-Times reported. "This is the ultimate ethics reform measure."

Under the Republican-supported legislation, a commission appointed by the Supreme Court would draw the map and then submit it to an eight-person bipartisan commission required by the state constitution, which would then forward it to the Secretary of State for approval.

The commission appointed by the Supreme Court would have to hold at least 10 public hearings throughout the state, with at least 10 public hearings, with four of them after the maps have been drawn.