Chambana Sun

Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Champaign) seeks input from the public on how Illinois can stop its declining population as the decades-long issue has resulted in the state losing yet another congressional seat.

Illinois’ seats in the U.S. House will go from 18 to 17 based on the 2020 census, which revealed the state as having a population of more than 12.8 million, according to The News-Gazette. While this represents a decrease of 0.1% from 2010 data, it adds to a downward population trend.

“What would you suggest to Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker to ‘turn our state around?’ Please be specific and constructive,” Rose wrote in an April 27 Facebook post.

Illinois has lost congressional seats in eight of the last nine decades. The state peaked at 27 seats in 1910 but began losing representation in 1940. Illinois is one of six states to lose a seat in Congress following the 2020 census, with the others being California, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Pritzker recently expressed concern about residents leaving Illinois and believes the outmigration is due to students deciding to attend out-of-state colleges.

General Assembly members have to create new legislative boundaries that Pritzker can approve or veto. The Illinois Constitution requires that the redistricting map be completed by June 30.