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Will County Consolidating Precincts

August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Suntimes reports on big precinct consolidation in Will County:

Will Co. clerk: Cutting precincts could save $200,000 per election

By Jon Seidel

JOLIET — A plan to consolidate Will County election precincts could save taxpayers as much as $200,000 per election, County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said.

It also could mean some Will County voters would be sent to new polling places when they cast their primary ballots in March. The county would shed 143 precincts, under the plan.

“The whole purpose of this is to save money, and also to be more efficient,” Voots said.

The clerk and her staff began working on the consolidation plan in June, when the county board voted on new political districts.

Under Voots’ proposal, Will County would have 302 precincts, each with 1,200 to 1,300 registered voters. Today the county has 445 precincts, she said, with varying numbers of registered voters. In one Plainfield precinct, Voots said, just 11 people showed up to vote in a recent election.

Voots said her plan will save the county money on voting booths, election judges and staff preparation. She said she’s trying to encourage voters to turn out on Election Day, but she doesn’t expect her plan to cause long lines. . . (read full)

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League of Women Voters Piles on with Redistricting Lawsuit

August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

-fresh from the Illinois Issues blog:

Legislative maps face another legal challenge

By Jamey Dunn

Illinois’ new Congressional and state legislative district maps face yet another lawsuit.

The League of Women Voters of Illinois sued to have both maps tossed out, claiming they violate the First Amendment rights of voters by trying to control their political voices. “By considering the partisan composition of the districts and the political competitiveness of election campaigns in such districts, the General Assembly is unlawfully attempting to control or influence the kinds of views, opinions and speech that residents placed in those districts are likely to express or hear and receive,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit says that trying to make districts politically competitive — something that would require voting history and information on party affiliations — is a valid goal. But it says that Democratic mapmakers were more concerned with maximizing political benefits than ensuring that races would be competitive. “ By use of methods to control or influence the kind of views that residents are likely to hear and receive, without safeguards ensuring such action is narrowly tailored to serve legitimate state interests, there is a significant risk that the General Assembly and Congressional delegation will become less accountable and responsive to changes in public opinion and less under popular control,” the complaint said.

“The problem is the usual gerrymandering. It doesn’t matter who is in office. They just do it,” said Jan Dorner, president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois. “It isn’t specifically about these maps. … our hope is to change it from now on.” … (read full)

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State Week in Review discusses Redistricting Lawsuit

July 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

My favorite Illinois public affairs podcast, State Week in Review, dedicated last weeks program to redistricting. They specifically discussed the recent lawsuit filed by the Illinois Republican Party in federal court. Have a listen:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Several people have asked me if I expect this legal action to be successful. I don’t. UNO supports the current map. MALDEF seems to have taken a pass on the suit. . . and I don’t see arguments for protecting Republicans a political minority going anywhere.

Campaigns for 2012 should be planned with the boundaries as they are currently drawn.

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Chicago Remap Coming in August

July 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Chicago Tribune gives some early coverage to the city remap process:

City population loss, race issue make council remap tricky
By John Byrne and Hal Dardick Clout Street

4:32 p.m. CDT, July 6, 2011

Veteran Ald. Richard Mell laid out the basics of redrawing the lines of Chicago’s 50 wards on Wednesday, saying this go-around will be the most challenging in recent memory.

Two of the biggest challenges involve race: The city’s African-American population dropped by more than 181,000, while the city’s Latino population grew by about 25,000 according to last year’s federal census.

Black aldermen would prefer not to lose City Council seats while Latino aldermen are looking to pick up a few seats as the new ward boundaries are drawn.

“I ask you to keep an open mind if you possibly can, to understand that even though your ward may be statistically almost right, the ward next to you could be statistically way off, which will affect everybody. So nobody’s ward is going to remain exactly the same,” Mell, 33rd, told colleagues.

Mell expects the process – in which ward boundaries are redrawn to reflect population changes so that each ward has roughly the same population – to begin in earnest around Aug. 1…(read full)

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Quinn Signs Congressional Map Legislation Today

June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Greg Hinz with Crain’s reports on his blog:

Quinn signs congressional remap
Posted by Greg H. at 6/24/2011 11:48 AM CDT

Gov. Pat Quinn Friday signed the congressional remap passed by legislative Democrats — a significant but expected action.

In a statement, the governor said the map, which has been bitterly attacked by Republicans, “is fair, maintains competitiveness within congressional districts, and protects the voting rights of minority communities.”… (read full)

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McHenry County Board Appoves Original Map

June 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Northwest Herald reports:

County board picks redistricting plan
By KEVIN P. CRAVER

WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board decided to stick with the redistricting map developed in open meetings rather than the one developed behind closed doors.

Board members voted Tuesday evening, 18-4, in favor of adopting a redistricting map drawn up by its Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. An alternate proposal drawn up by a handful of board members and under fire for possibly violating the Open Meetings Act, was soundly defeated on voice vote.

County and state legislators must redraw their legislative boundaries after each 10-year census to ensure that each district contains an equal number of people. McHenry County, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, grew by 18.7 percent over the past decade to 308,760 residents…

The approved map moves only 15 of the county’s 212 voting precincts, all of them in Grafton and Algonquin townships and affecting Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 in the county’s heavily-populated southeast corner.

District 6, which covers the county’s rural western half, and District 4, which covers Richmond, Burton and most of McHenry Township, are unchanged…(read full)

Here’s the approved map from the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee with links for download:

McHenry County Board Districts

McHenry County Board Districts - 2011


Download Approved McHenry County Board PDF Map

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McHenry County Board to Vote on Map Tomorrow

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Today’s Northwest Herald mentions that the new McHenry County Board map is on the agenda for Tuesday:

Redistricting map up for vote Tuesday
By KEVIN P. CRAVER

The official redistricting proposal going before the McHenry County Board for a vote Tuesday is painless compared to past decades.

It tweaks the boundaries of its six districts, moving only 15 of the county’s 212 voting precincts, and all of them in Grafton and Algonquin townships. What’s more, none of the County Board’s 24 members who decide to run next year will have to run in new districts under the proposed map, which for the first time was developed with the aid of special software.

But then there’s the unofficial proposal that a handful of members developed on their own behind closed doors and possibly in violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

County and state legislators must redraw their legislative boundaries after each 10-year census to ensure that each district contains an equal number of people. McHenry County, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, grew by 18.7 percent over the past decade to 308,760 residents.

After the 1990 Census, the County Board decided to go from three districts of eight members to its present configuration of six four-member districts. The explosive growth of that decade resulted in a 2001 redistricting that radically changed Districts 4 and 5, and to a lesser extent District 6.

Most of the changes this time around are to Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 in the county’s heavily populated southeast. ..(read full)

You can see the map under consideration online at the McHenry County website with Google Maps or download a pdf map.

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Lake County Map Moves Out of Committee

June 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

From the Lake County News-Sun:

County Board panel OKs redistricting map

A Lake County Board committee Tuesday unanimously approved a reapportionment plan for a smaller board.

At the same time, the bipartisan Reapportionment Committee recommended a pay plan which would reduce salaries for County Board members when their terms expire in 2012.

The entire County Board is expected to approve the proposed remap at its June 14 meeting and vote on the compensation package.

The new redistricting plan trims the board size to 21 members from the current 23, with each district having a target population of 33,498. The change would take place in November 2012, coinciding with the general election. All board members complete their terms in 2012 and will be up for re-election…(read full)

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DAMAGE CONTROL – Rep. Adam Brown Moves From New 96th to 102nd

June 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

From the Herald Review:

Adam Brown to move to GOP-friendlier 102nd District

DECATUR – State Rep. Adam Brown announced Monday he will be moving out of Decatur and seeking election to an Illinois House district to the southeast of the city.

The 25-year-old Decatur Republican said he is seeking property somewhere within the new 102nd Illinois House District which includes all of Shelby County as well as the communities of Arthur, Arcola and Savoy. It stretches eastward to Paris and the Indiana border.

A freshman lawmaker, Brown represents the current 101st District, which includes Macon, Moultrie and Shelby counties.

“I have a strong agricultural background and this is a strongly agricultural district,” Brown said. “A lot of this district, I already represent.”

During the recent redistricting process, Brown’s Decatur residence was drawn into the new 96th District, which also includes parts of Springfield’s east side. That district is significantly more urban than the one Brown won election to last year in a costly and close race with four-term incumbent Democrat Bob Flider.

Brown said his decision to run in the 102nd was because of his upcoming marriage…(read full)

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Redistricting Wars Begin in Illinois

June 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Good article today on RealClearPolitics:

Redistricting Wars Begin in Illinois
By Sean Trende

For those who follow decennial redistricting carefully, the past few months have been like the “Phoney War” that preceded the German invasion of France in World War II. Both sides are eying each other warily, knowing full well that battle is inevitable, and waiting for the other to strike. Aside from Indiana Republicans weakening Democrat Joe Donnelly’s seat significantly, most of the changes have been quiet, and will likely have little impact on the partisan balance in Congress.

Today, Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois (pictured) is expected to launch the first salvo of the 2012 redistricting wars by signing a bill that creates new congressional districts for the state. In a typical election, it should yield a 12-6 Democratic edge, with a possible 13-5 edge in a wave year. This would represent a loss of five Republican seats, more than reversing the GOP gains made in 2010. Consider: Democrats have to pick up 24 seats to retake control of the House. With this map, they are roughly 20 percent of the way there.

But the map also illustrates the peril of over-gerrymandering. There is a chance that the map spreads Democrats too thin. In a Republican wave year, it could still yield a heavily Republican delegation, especially if there are some unfortunately timed Democratic retirements. Similarly, if suburban America were to shift back toward Republicans as the party becomes more focused on fiscal conservatism, the Democratic map could come unraveled… (read full)

The article offers the following conclusions:

  1. Safe Democratic Districts (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
  2. Safe Republican Districts (6, 14, 15, 16, 18)
  3. Not-Safe Districts (3, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17)
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