House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, along with State Representatives Ryan Spain and Dan Ugaste, held a press conference at the State Capitol to announce a lawsuit filed with the Illinois Supreme Court. The lawsuit aims to address legislative gerrymandering by declaring the current map unconstitutional and seeking a special master to draft a compliant redistricting plan.
The U.S. Supreme Court has tasked states with ending extreme partisan gerrymandering. Illinois may join other states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina in having their redistricting plans struck down based on similar constitutional provisions.
McCombie's lawsuit challenges the 2021 enacted maps, focusing on district compactness and partisan gerrymandering. "Illinois’ State House District Maps are the byproduct of extreme partisan gerrymandering," said McCombie. She claims that these maps entrench the Democratic Party in power, rigging general election outcomes.
State Representative Ryan Spain has introduced House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 05 in the 104th General Assembly to promote a Fair Map Amendment. Spain criticized Speaker Chris Welch for opposing democracy through efforts such as map manipulation. "When we say the map is rigged, we mean that the better Republican candidates do, the more effective the Democratic gerrymander is," he stated.
In 2016, over 600,000 Illinoisans supported a Fair Map Ballot Initiative against partisan redistricting. However, it was dismissed by the Democrat-controlled Illinois Supreme Court after former Commonwealth Edison executive John Hooker filed suit. Hooker was later convicted of bribery charges related to former Speaker Michael Madigan's case.
State Representative Dan Ugaste has advocated for fair maps and broader ethics reform within the House Republican caucus. He highlighted how partisan gerrymandering affected voters' voices during recent elections: "Of the 2024 Illinois House elections, Democratic candidates won 55% of the statewide vote but secured a super-majority of seats."
Dr. Jowei Chen from the University of Michigan provided expert research for McCombie's complaint as an academic researcher on partisan gerrymandering. Ugaste discussed Chen’s findings during today's press conference: "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 today's complaint can be accessed online at RedoRemap.com.
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