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GOP Lawmakers Sue Over Alleged Gerrymandering

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, alongside Republican State Representatives, held a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol last week to announce a legal challenge against the state’s legislative maps. McCombie, in her official capacity, has filed a lawsuit with the Illinois Supreme Court, seeking to have the current district map declared unconstitutional and requesting the appointment of a special master to draft a new redistricting plan in accordance with the Illinois Constitution.


The lawsuit targets the state legislative maps enacted in 2021, challenging their compliance with constitutional requirements. Specifically, it raises concerns about the compactness of districts under Article IV, Section 3, and alleges partisan gerrymandering in violation of Article III, Section 3.


“Illinois’ State House District Maps are the byproduct of extreme partisan gerrymandering,” McCombie stated. “They are drawn by the political party in control and intended to entrench the Democratic Party in power and prevent voters of the minority party from electing candidates of their choice. The general election outcomes are rigged.”


The challenge comes as Illinois joins other states, including Pennsylvania and North Carolina, in addressing redistricting concerns through legal action. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that responsibility for addressing partisan gerrymandering falls to individual states.

In addition to the lawsuit, Spain has introduced House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 05 (HJRCA05) in the 104th General Assembly, proposing a Fair Map Amendment to reform the redistricting process.


State Representative Wayne Rosenthal said, “Voters have the right for their voices to be heard, but the current legislative map suppresses constituents from electing candidates they support in Illinois.”


“Instead of a promised New Day by Speaker Chris Welch, we have instead seen Democrats opposing democracy through a multitude of efforts, but the most egregious remains the map,” said Spain. “When we say the map is rigged, we mean that the better Republican candidates do, the more effective the Democratic gerrymander is.”


Republicans have long advocated for changes to the redistricting process. In 2016, an effort to introduce a Fair Map Ballot Initiative gained over 600,000 signatures but was ultimately struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court. The challenge was brought by former Commonwealth Edison executive John Hooker, who was later convicted on charges related to bribing former House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan is currently awaiting a verdict in his own federal corruption trial.


Ugaste, who has pushed for broader ethics reforms in the legislature, pointed to the 2024 election results as evidence of partisan gerrymandering’s impact.


“The recently completed election cycle made clear how successful the partisan gerrymandering deprived voters of their voice,” Ugaste said. “Of the 2024 Illinois House elections, Democratic candidates won 55% of the statewide vote. But Democratic candidates won a super-majority of seats (78 of 118, or 66.1%).”


Dr. Jowei Chen, a University of Michigan researcher specializing in partisan gerrymandering, provided expert analysis for the lawsuit. Ugaste referenced Chen’s findings during the press conference.


“I support expanding recall elections for all elected officials, strong ethics reform, and changing the corrupt way Democrats have perverted the system to draw legislative maps which provide them with what our expert witness, Dr. Chen, describes as an ‘insurance policy’ for the House Democrats,” said Ugaste. “Voters across our state deserve to be heard, and we will not stand for them to be silenced any longer.”

While HJRCA05 awaits further consideration in the Illinois House, a full copy of the complaint filed with the Illinois Supreme Court is available online at RedoRemap.com.

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