Chambana Sun

State Rep. Mike Marron (R-Danville) is hoping to see Democrats remain true to their own words in the fight over map redistricting.

“Amazingly enough, Republicans aren't the only people in this chamber that have talked about fair maps,” Marron said. “There are a lot of my friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle that I am proud of for taking a strong stand making strong statements on fair maps.”

Even after Democrats moved to push through a map redistricting plan critics charge was crafted in secrecy and with the aim of keeping Democrats in power, Republicans aren’t giving up, filing a federal lawsuit earlier this month seeking to overturn maps drawn by Democratic lawmakers. The suit cites the party’s reliance on population estimates as “arbitrary” and “discriminatory.”

Marron gave an example of a Democrat who supported nonpartisan redistricting.

“This statement I'll quote was from the Chicago Daily Herald on Feb. 14, 2018, 'I support independent maps," Marron said. "'Partisan politicians should not be responsible for redistricting where they can tip the scales to keep the entrenched party in power. Voters should be empowered to choose their elected officials, not the other way around. I support amending the U.S. Constitution to end partisan gerrymandering across the country. We have to take power away from the career politicians and put it back in the hands of the voters.' I would like to thank my friend and colleague Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) for making such a strong statement in support of fair maps.”

As part of the proceedings, House Republican leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Senate Republican leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) are pushing for a three-judge panel that would be responsible for creating a system they trust would be more reflective of communities and equitable to all lawmakers.

Republican leaders were spurred to action after Gov. J.B. Pritzker quickly signed off on the once-every-decade maps without GOP input after insisting as a gubernatorial candidate that he would veto any map drawn by politicians.

The suit charges Democrats relied on data from the American Community Survey rather than more specific data from the actual 2020 federal census. The suit claims the ACS estimate for 2020 undercounts Illinois’ population by nearly 42,000 people compared to the statewide figure provided by the federal census earlier in the year.

Democrats have countered by insisting their process was the only option available given the U.S. Census Bureau data typically relied on won’t be available before an end-of-June deadline.

The lawsuit names the Illinois State Board of Elections and its members as well as the state’s Democratic legislative leaders, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park.