Metro East Sun

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has frustrated many Republican lawmakers this year, after he broke his campaign promise to reject any partisan redistricting map sent to him by the Democratic majority. 

Pritzker said that he trusts Democrats will stay fair and objective in their new maps, but Republicans aren't so sure. Late last month, state Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) said that Illinois leadership needs to listen to the voters "in overwhelming numbers" saying that they prefer an independent map.

"[...] Take the politicians out of the process," Bryant said in an April 28 news conference. "Democrats are once again gearing up to subvert the will of the people, and they want to do it for their own political gain. This is the same song and dance that those of us in the minority have kind of come to expect from the majority party."

Bryant said that Pritzker is continuing to enable the politicians that have been running Springfield for decades, lawmakers that refuse to give up their chokehold on the legislature. 

"[...] Many good government groups have been pushing for an independent commission and they've been doing that for decades," Bryant said. "Also remember that over 600,000 citizens signed petitions asking for an independent commission both in 2015 and in 2016.

"The truth is that the people of Illinois are not dumb. They pay attention to what's going on here in Springfield."

Bryant called on Illinoisans to be done accepting empty promises from lawmakers and commended voters for shooting down Pritzker's income tax hike. 

"[Voters] are done with accepting that those who are in charge of the state government somehow always have time for their own personal agendas, but say that they don't have time for things that are truly important," Bryant said, "such as an independent map."