Peoria Standard

State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) is stressing the importance of making use of the best tools available in the state’s map redistricting process.

“Mr. Valas, you had mentioned the American Community Survey (ACS) data is limited in counting under-represented areas,” Butler asked Asians Advancing Justice’s Justin Valas during a recent House Redistricting Committee hearing on the issue. “You are concerned that if we use ACS data to draw these maps that communities presented to the General Assembly will not be counted?”

“We know that a lot of communities have been undercounted," Valas replied. "And so I think limiting ourselves to only looking at the raw numbers without that deeper community conversation doesn't give us the full picture of our community.”

The debate over how best to handle the once-in-a-decade task of map drawing is becoming more contested as the June 30 deadline for redistricting to be completed draws closer.

With the Census Bureau having already indicated data typically relied on to complete the job will not be available until closer to the fall, Republican lawmakers have used the moment to highlight the need for a change toward what they see as a fairer process.

GOP lawmakers are pushing the People’s Independent Maps Act as a way of making that happen. The measure would give the state Supreme Court the power to appoint 16 independent citizens to a redistricting commission within 30 days of passage. The members would be equally split politically.

"We want to make sure the representation is reflected. I think we can do more for rural communities,” Butler said.