Peoria Standard

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, joined by State Representatives Ryan Spain and Dan Ugaste, held a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol to announce a lawsuit filed with the Illinois Supreme Court. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the state's legislative district maps enacted in 2021, citing issues of compactness and partisan gerrymandering.

McCombie aims for the court to declare the current map unconstitutional and appoint a special master to create a new redistricting plan. "Illinois’ State House District Maps are the byproduct of extreme partisan gerrymandering," she stated. The move aligns with actions taken in other states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina where similar plans were struck down.

In tandem with this legal action, Representative Ryan Spain has introduced House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 05 to promote a Fair Map Amendment. He criticized Speaker Chris Welch's leadership, saying, "Instead of a promised New Day by Speaker Chris Welch, we have instead seen Democrats opposing democracy through a multitude of efforts."

The press conference highlighted past efforts to address gerrymandering in Illinois. In 2016, over 600,000 residents supported a Fair Map Ballot Initiative that was ultimately dismissed by the state’s Supreme Court after being challenged by former Commonwealth Edison executive John Hooker.

Representative Dan Ugaste emphasized ongoing advocacy for fair maps and broader ethics reforms within their caucus. "The recently completed election cycle made clear how successful the partisan gerrymandering deprived voters of their voice," he said. According to Ugaste, Democratic candidates secured 55% of votes but won a disproportionate number of seats.

Expert research from Dr. Jowei Chen at the University of Michigan was cited during the announcement as supporting evidence against current mapping practices. Ugaste concluded with support for recall elections and ethics reform: “Voters across our state deserve to be heard.”

While awaiting further legislative action on HJRCA05, details of today's complaint are available online at RedoRemap.com.