Chambana Sun

During the House Redistricting Committee Champaign/Urbana hearing on April 8, Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) asked Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) about communities that had not been represented in previous hearings.

Butler said that communities like Macomb, Effingham, and Quincy have not been represented in the hearings. Deputy Majority Leader Gordon-Booth told him that she would look into the matter.  

Butler has been attending redistricting hearings and frequently asks witnesses and other committee members for suggestions on how to improve the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts.

“I’m wondering if there have been any decisions made from the majority about scheduling hearings after your maps have been revealed,” Butler said. “I know we’ve had these hearings before but no discussion about hearings being scheduled for after the maps are revealed, which has been a question brought up at many of the previous hearings.”

Democrats have been pushing to proceed with the decennial redistricting using the American Community Survey despite the fact that the bureau’s census data is the official count of the population, which the U.S. Census Bureau said will not be ready to be released possibly until the end of September this year. The bureau’s work has been delayed by the pandemic.

While there is a debate on which data to use, the Republicans are proposing the creation of an independent redistricting commission which for them is the “best way for people to have their voices heard.”