CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Friday redrawing the state's legislative districts, angering some groups that contend the new map shortchanges Latino voters and Republicans.
"We are extremely, extremely disappointed," said Elisa Alfonso, the Midwest redistricting coordinator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF.
The group, which has complained the map fractures some Latino communities and weakens Latino voting strength, wouldn't say Friday whether it would take its grievances to court over the map that sets new state House and Senate districts for the next 10 years.
Democrats were in charge of the once-a-decade redistricting process, which is based on the latest census, because they control the Legislature and the governor's office.
The map makes life harder for Illinois Republicans by lumping them together in new legislative districts and making other areas friendlier to Democrats. Incumbent Republicans stuffed into the same districts would have to decide whether to challenge a colleague or run in another district.
House Republican leader Tom Cross said it's a matter of time before the state redistricting fight ends up in court.
"It will be challenged on some constitutional grounds," Cross said, as for example, not having enough Latino districts.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat who led the Illinois Senate's redistricting committee, wasn't fazed by the threat of potential legal action to stop the redistricting map from being implemented.
"I'm not worried ... I think it was a good product and a fair process," Raoul said.
Republicans and others have blasted Democrats for rushing to approve the map before adjourning their spring session earlier this week. That anger was directed at Quinn on Friday because he signed the map a week after lawmakers approved it in Springfield.
Groups, including MALDEF and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, had encouraged Quinn to take his time before deciding whether to approve the map and get additional input from advocacy groups and the public.
"It's surprising that he signed it this quickly. We wish he would have taken more time to involve the public because we don't feel like Illinois residents have been given sufficient opportunity to weigh in," said Whitney Woodward, a policy associate at Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
Quinn, who issued a statement announcing that he had signed the legislation, said lawmakers had held public hearings around the state about the map.
"For the first time, the people of Illinois have been able to participate in public hearings and have their voices heard in drawing their legislative districts. I would like to commend lawmakers for significantly increasing openness and transparency in the remap process,"
Quinn said in a statement.
Some have argued there still wasn't enough opportunity for input with three major public hearings — two in Chicago and one at the state Capitol — held after the legislative map was made public. Lawmakers approved the map just more than a week after it was first released. Quinn's announcement that he had signed the map late on a Friday afternoon added fuel to their argument.
"The process has been anything but transparent, and the maps created have been done so purely out of the self-interest and self-preservation of incumbent Democrats, to the detriment of taxpayers, Hispanics, Republican and independent voters, and all citizens of Illinois who see their districts gerrymandered further and their communities sliced up into more and more districts," Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady said in a statement.
For his handling of the map, Cross said Quinn "will forever be known as the former reformer in Illinois politics."
The Democrat-controlled Legislature also approved a new congressional district map that awaits Quinn's signature. Illinois had to draw a map with 18 U.S. House seats instead of 19 because of slowing population growth.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
"We are extremely, extremely disappointed," said Elisa Alfonso, the Midwest redistricting coordinator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF.
The group, which has complained the map fractures some Latino communities and weakens Latino voting strength, wouldn't say Friday whether it would take its grievances to court over the map that sets new state House and Senate districts for the next 10 years.
Democrats were in charge of the once-a-decade redistricting process, which is based on the latest census, because they control the Legislature and the governor's office.
The map makes life harder for Illinois Republicans by lumping them together in new legislative districts and making other areas friendlier to Democrats. Incumbent Republicans stuffed into the same districts would have to decide whether to challenge a colleague or run in another district.
House Republican leader Tom Cross said it's a matter of time before the state redistricting fight ends up in court.
"It will be challenged on some constitutional grounds," Cross said, as for example, not having enough Latino districts.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat who led the Illinois Senate's redistricting committee, wasn't fazed by the threat of potential legal action to stop the redistricting map from being implemented.
"I'm not worried ... I think it was a good product and a fair process," Raoul said.
Republicans and others have blasted Democrats for rushing to approve the map before adjourning their spring session earlier this week. That anger was directed at Quinn on Friday because he signed the map a week after lawmakers approved it in Springfield.
Groups, including MALDEF and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, had encouraged Quinn to take his time before deciding whether to approve the map and get additional input from advocacy groups and the public.
"It's surprising that he signed it this quickly. We wish he would have taken more time to involve the public because we don't feel like Illinois residents have been given sufficient opportunity to weigh in," said Whitney Woodward, a policy associate at Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
Quinn, who issued a statement announcing that he had signed the legislation, said lawmakers had held public hearings around the state about the map.
"For the first time, the people of Illinois have been able to participate in public hearings and have their voices heard in drawing their legislative districts. I would like to commend lawmakers for significantly increasing openness and transparency in the remap process,"
Quinn said in a statement.
Some have argued there still wasn't enough opportunity for input with three major public hearings — two in Chicago and one at the state Capitol — held after the legislative map was made public. Lawmakers approved the map just more than a week after it was first released. Quinn's announcement that he had signed the map late on a Friday afternoon added fuel to their argument.
"The process has been anything but transparent, and the maps created have been done so purely out of the self-interest and self-preservation of incumbent Democrats, to the detriment of taxpayers, Hispanics, Republican and independent voters, and all citizens of Illinois who see their districts gerrymandered further and their communities sliced up into more and more districts," Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady said in a statement.
For his handling of the map, Cross said Quinn "will forever be known as the former reformer in Illinois politics."
The Democrat-controlled Legislature also approved a new congressional district map that awaits Quinn's signature. Illinois had to draw a map with 18 U.S. House seats instead of 19 because of slowing population growth.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
