Illinois Democrats’ proposed congressional map fails the fairness test, according to the Redistricting Report Card from RepresentUs and the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. Released last Friday, the map got an “F” for partisan fairness because it gives Democrats a significant advantage, a “C” in competitiveness with only three competitive districts, and an “F” for geographic features because draft district lines split up counties more than usual. If passed, the map is predicted to produce a delegation of 14 Democrats and three Republicans.
Before the redistricting process kicked off, RepresentUs’ Gerrymandering Threat Index categorized Illinois as being at “extreme” risk of partisan gerrymandering. That’s primarily because state politicians have complete control over the map drawing process, and Democrats control the state legislature and governorship. Transparency is also a major concern, as Illinois has no public participation requirements for congressional maps.
“This is one of the worst examples of partisan gerrymandering we’ve seen thus far,” said RepresentUs Senior Campaign Director Joe Kabourek. “This map not only looks gerrymandered to the naked eye, but our Redistricting Report Card also scores it poorly in terms of partisan fairness and competitiveness. If passed by the legislature, this map will lock in Democratic power for the next decade in a way that doesn't actually reflect the will of Illinois voters.”
The Redistricting Report Card utilizes a unique algorithm that generates 1 million districting plans for each state. The tool compares proposed maps against the full range of possibilities -- both good and bad -- and issues grades based on criteria including partisan fairness, competitiveness, and geographic features. A grade of “C” is considered average. Check out the website to see other maps the tool has graded so far.
The Freedom to Vote Act, a landmark federal bill set to come up for a vote this week, would ban partisan gerrymandering at the congressional level. If passed, the law would likely set up immediate court battles over unfair voting maps approved this cycle.
Contact:
Ross Sherman, RepresentUs Public Relations Strategist, 207-749-2660, rsherman@represent.us