South West Illinois News

Following the Illinois Supreme Court’s recent pivotal decision hindering the efforts of a grassroots redistricting campaign, Republican state Senate candidate Paul Schimpf expressed discouragement but not despair, urging constituents to look ahead and try again.

 

Schimpf, who is running to represent a swath of Southern Illinois encompassing portions of Monroe, St. Clair, Randolph, Perry, Jefferson, Jackson and Union counties, called it tragic that a logical concept such as nonpartisan legislative map-making can’t be permitted to make the ballot.

 

“More than 500,000 Illinoisans signed petitions in favor of this proposal and now their will is being thwarted," Schimpf said, referring to the state Supreme Court’s negative ruling on the independent map amendment. "Redistricting is the ugliest political process that takes place in Illinois.”

 

Illinois’ highest court on Aug. 25 ultimately concurred with a Cook County Circuit Court judge’s previous decision, ruling against the Independent Map Amendment in a close 4-3 decision divided by party alignment.

 

Majority Democratic justices sided with the lower court judge stating their belief that the reform group’s plan to involve another state officer would be in violation of the Illinois Constitution.

 

The bipartisan Independent Map Amendment group had collected almost 600,000 Illinois voter signatures for its second consecutive attempt at letting voters decide whether they wanted an independent commission to draw Illinois’ statehouse boundaries rather than political party leaders.

 

House Speaker Michael Madigan, one of the initiative’s main adversaries, suggested that such an amendment would not protect minority representation in Springfield. Yet, as The Chicago Tribune pointed out, the speaker has maintained power in the Capitol for more than 30 years because he and his colleagues have held the power to draw those maps.

 

Additionally, a Madigan-affiliated attorney spearheaded a reactionary group called the People’s Map, comprised of prominent minority-status business leaders who opposed the Independent Map Amendment plan from the beginning.

 

Gov. Bruce Rauner joined Schimpf to express disappointment in the outcome.

 

"[The] court decision to deny Illinoisans the right to vote on a redistricting referendum does nothing to stem the outflow or change people's views of how the system is rigged and corrupt," Rauner said. "When the General Assembly reconvenes this fall, they should put political reform — term limits and independent redistricting — at the top of the legislative agenda so that incumbents aren't locked into power and democracy is restored through competitive general elections."

 

The Supreme Court action occurred just one day prior to the scheduled deadline for Illinois’ State Board of Elections to certify what will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.

 

The Independent Maps group said it is considering whether to ask the high court for a rehearing. Its chairman, Dennis FitzSimons, stated that the original authors of the Illinois Constitution "would not recognize the interpretation made by the Supreme Court majority."

 

"According to the majority, voters cannot propose sensible changes to the legislative article that would make a meaningful difference in the way legislative district boundaries are drawn," FitzSimons said.

 

Schimpf encouraged stakeholders to continue their efforts despite the setback. Over 563,000 voters signed petitions to put the issue on this year’s ballot, and over two dozen businesses, consumer organizations and public interest groups actively supported the initiative that would create an 11-member board with a minimum of seven votes required to approve map changes.

 

The plan was designed to ensure fairness by requiring at least two members of each political party and three independents to approve a new map.

 

After the ruling, the three Repubican justices on the high court wrote dissenting opinions. Justice Robert Thomas spared no discretion, saying that the majority's action should "include a bright orange warning sticker for readers to paste” over the constitution’s citizen-initiative section — reading “Out of Service.”

 

Schimpf, a Waterloo native, entered the race in October 2015 and defeated Sharee Langenstein in the Republican primary for the 58th state Senate District in March. He is running to fill the upcoming vacancy left by retiring state Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) and has obtained Luechtefeld’s endorsement.