Retired Marine Lt. Col. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo, Republican candidate in Senate District 58, expressed his disappointment after a Cook County Circuit Court judge issued a ruling last month to remove the proposed Independent Map Amendment from the November ballot.
When the judge tossed the proposed amendment to take away the General Assembly's power to draw legislative district boundaries, it was clearly a loss for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and a win to Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan.
"(The) decision on the Independent Maps referendum was a win for Speaker Madigan’s legal team and his allies who want to deny citizens the opportunity to vote to reform our broken redistricting system in Illinois,” Schimpf said. “It is a loss for the voters of our state and our democratic system."
This is the second time in three years that the Independent Maps group suffered a loss in attempting to ask voters whether the state should remove much of the politics from redistricting.
“The stumbling block was the same as last time, with a judge finding the proposal did not fit a narrow legal window for a petition-driven initiative to change the Illinois Constitution,” the Chicago Tribune said.
Several reports stated that Madigan opposed the referendum, suggesting it would hurt protections on ensuring minority representation.
Schimpf said he is still hopeful that the fight is not over.
Independent Maps has appealed the ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court in hopes that the referendum can still make it on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Furthermore, the Illinois Republican Party is blaming Madigan directly for the referendum's rejection.
"Instead of supporting the chance to vote for fair maps, Mike Madigan's allies sued to stop voters from having the opportunity to vote for reform,” a state Republican spokesperson said. “It's sad to see that Mike Madigan's Democratic Party would rather deny voters their voice than face fair, competitive elections."
Despite the debate, redistricting is key to whether Democrats or Republicans have control at the Capitol.
Schimpf said the initial proposal won more than enough signatures to make the ballot, but People's Map, a coalition of prominent minority businessmen, asked Madigan's Democratic Party lawyer Mike Kasper to argue the case against the referendum.
“Redistricting reform is essential to fixing the abysmal political climate in Illinois,” Schimpf said. “Ultimately, this decision should be made at the ballot box and not at the hands of a Chicago judge."
Schimpf stressed that such decisions are a further reflection of the current state of corruption in Illinois government. He said he hopes his run for office can help push the state in a better direction for the future.
Alerts Sign-up