Kankakee Times

Lindsay Parkhurst, Illinois House Republican candidate from District 79 - Kankakee, recently spoke out in favor of the Independent Map Amendment despite efforts by the powers that be in Springfield to remove it from the 2016 ballot.

"This November, voters have an historic opportunity to take on the career politicians and their culture of corruption in Springfield by supporting the Independent Map Amendment,” Parkhurst said. “But there's a catch ... Mike Madigan and his allies are suing to keep the referendum off the ballot so they can maintain their grip on power. Worse yet, Kate Cloonen is remaining loyal to Madigan by refusing to denounce his lawsuit.”

Cook County Circuit Judge Diane Larsen ruled against the Independent Map Amendment, but initiative organizers have successfully petitioned state Supreme Court for an expedited appeal. Larsen's ruling supports the opponents' contention that the amendment is unconstitutional according to the Illinois Constitution.

A previous attempt to wrest control of the redistricting process from the Illinois legislature, the 2014 Illinois Independent Redistricting Amendment, was successfully challenged by Chicago lawyer Mike Kasper, who also won in court with this latest effort. The 2014 amendment also faced difficulties with the Illinois State Board of Elections, which determined that less than half of the 532,000 signatures submitted were valid after sampling 5 percent of the signatures.

Supporters of the 2016 Independent Map Amendment submitted over 550,000 signatures May 6 in favor of appointing an 11-member commission to redraw election district lines. The commission would comprise seven registered voters and four members selected by state legislators.

Led by Chicago Housing Authority Chairman John Hooker, the People's Map Ballot Initiative Committee opposed the amendment, claiming that it intended to help Republicans win legislature seats and reduce minority representation. The group filed with the Illinois Board of Elections but has allegedly failed to file campaign disclosures reporting donations. Kasper, also the Democratic Party of Illinois' general counsel, filed the legal challenge in Cook County on May 11. 

The Illinois Republican Party reacted strongly to the lawsuit after the state elections board certified the signatures on June 13.

"Now that the State Board of Elections has approved the Independent Map Amendment, the only thing standing in the way of letting the people vote for fair legislative maps is (Illinois House Speaker) Mike Madigan," Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe said. "Many Democrats claim to support redistricting reform, but all have remained silent on Mike Madigan’s lawsuit to get the Independent Map Amendment thrown off the ballot. Democrats need to listen to the will of the people and denounce Madigan’s lawsuit and refuse financial support from Madigan’s Democratic Party until this shameful lawsuit is dropped. Otherwise, this is a clear signal that Democrats would prefer maintaining power to doing what is right for the people of Illinois.”

While disappointed by the Circuit Court's ruling, Independent Map Amendment Chairman Dennis FitzSimons assured amendment supporters that the battle is not yet won by the opposition. During the campaign, supporters pointed to California's independent redistricting amendment as an example of persistence. In California, the petitions failed four times before voters passed their own redistricting amendment in 2008. The Illinois Board of Elections must certify the November ballot by Aug. 26.

“We are disappointed that Judge Larsen has ruled against the Independent Map Amendment and the 564,000 Illinois residents who signed a petition to … eliminate the inherent conflict of interest where politicians draw their own legislative districts," FitzSimons said. "We will file for an expedited appeal to the state’s highest court."

Parkhurst concurred in her support of the Independent Map Amendment.

“Gerrymandering is an awful process designed to disenfranchise voters and limit citizen control over state government,” she said. “Voters should be able to choose their politicians, not the other way around."