Redistricting Reform

Political gerrymandering makes a mockery of representative government, transforming Illinois into a patchwork of "safe" districts whose map makes no sense to residents and destroys a sense of continuity; since I've lived in Evanston, I've had five different state representatives, and starting in 2013 will have #6. Half of those changes come from redistricting. Our current backwards system, where politicians choose their electorate, lets incumbents stay in power as long as the old Soviet Politburo, while marginalizing independent-minded voters. Moreover, giving disproportionate power to one party to draw maps aggravates partisanship and encourages gamesmanship.

Decennial redistricting should be grounded on principles of compactness, contiguity, and recognizable natural and neighborhood boundaries. Maps should not be used to marginalize or dilute the voting power of identifiable groups who are a minority in the community. But voters should be treated as people first, not as numbers, and especially not as "filler" in a district that has deemed not to be "one of theirs." The baseline maps should be generated by an impartial, nonpartisan commission, using the best available technology. Public good needs to come before political self-perpetuation. This was a key proposal of the Collins Commission that was ignored following the Blagojevich indictment.

As an attorney who was researched and written on redistricting, worked on redistricting cases, and taught redistricting, I will be in an excellent position in the legislature to hit the ground running on redistricting reform, a key element of changing Illinois politics for the better.

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