Metro East Sun

Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Litchfield) wants to see the interest of Illinois residents come first in the debate over who will come to represent them.

“We need a fair process that allows for fair representation for all Illinoisans,” Bourne said during a recent press conference on the subject of map redistricting. “Today, we have a real opportunity to set forth a new path for redistricting and provide a fair map.”

With the stakes being as high as they are, Bourne knows the job won’t come easily, especially with U.S. Census Bureau officials recently sharing that data typically provided by the government as part of the redistricting process won’t be available before a June 30 deadline.

For a growing number of Republican lawmakers, the answer lies in the passage of the People’s Independent Maps Act, which seeks to take politicians completely out of the process of map drawing. Instead, House Bill 1325 seeks to grant the state Supreme Court the power to appoint 16 independent citizens to a redistricting commission within 30 days of passage.

Bourne said ending gerrymandering is an idea Democrats have supported in the past, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who as a candidate vowed to veto any map drawn by partisans.

“Today, I’m here with my colleagues to remind the governor of a pledge he made and to confirm that Republicans are here to work with him,” Bourne said. “He needs to come out and say that now so the legislature knows that this is a fool’s errand to be going with this redistricting in a partisan way.”