Peoria Standard

State lawmakers have just a little over two months to finalize new Illinois legislative districts before the remapping process is delegated to an independent commission, a prospect that Republicans argue would be better for the state after decades of gerrymandering. 

State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) said in a recent Illinois Channel TV video that it's time for legislators to act on their track record of working together on redistricting, noting that Republicans and Democrats formed a coalition several years ago to ensure that the Prairie State supported and invested in the 2020 U.S. Census. 

With over $30 million in Illinois funding to the U.S. Census and over 40 Republican cosponsors, Spain said that complete, reliable and accurate census data is crucial. 

Spain was recently appointed to the House redistricting committee and said the committee has held over 20 redistricting hearings in the last several weeks. 

"[...] At each and every one of these hearings, we have had witnesses that step forward and demonstrate and testify to the importance of using U.S. Census data to draw the redistricting maps in the state of Illinois again and again," Spain said. "Witnesses have testified about how important the census was to them and how hard they worked as a volunteer, as a community  organizer, to make sure that we had the best possible participation in the U.S. Census."

According to Spain, the same witnesses are concerned about using other population data such as American Community Survey. 

"[...] So imagine now my bewilderment as all of these witnesses have testified, that we learned that House Democrats intend to very much use American Community Survey data as the mechanism for which they will draw legislative maps and then present them to the people of Illinois," Spain continued. "I really find it absolutely astounding that this could be the decision point for House Democrats. [...] The American Community Survey is a very unreliable data set that asks three questions about citizenship within the sample survey that is done each and every year."

Spain recounted that the census has not always been without controversy, pointing at former President Donald Trump's attempt to put citizenship response questions on the census. 

"I was opposed to that," Spain said. "I thought that citizenship was a question that should not be included in the census because it may do something to depress the turnout and participation that we so desperately wanted to see in the U.S. Census."