Rockford Sun

Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) leaves no doubt about how committed he is to see the state's once-every decade redistricting project turn out as fair as he thinks it should be.

"We are all trying to do, or at least some of us are trying to do, double duty because we have redistricting committees that are taking place simultaneously and this is very important," Spain said during a recent House Redistricting Committee hearing focused on the Rockford area. "I'm not quite sure why they were scheduled at the same time, but we're all trying to do the best we can to cover them both."

The stakes are as high as they've ever been in the map redistricting process after the census bureau said the data usually available that figures into the equation won't be ready before the June 30 deadline. Republican lawmakers are trying to turn the moment into a development they feel makes for an overall fairer process.  

For a growing number of GOP lawmakers, the answer lies in the enactment of the currently proposed People's Independent Maps Act. The measure would give the state Supreme Court the power to appoint a 16-member independent commission to head the redistricting process and totally remove lawmakers from an equation that is typically left in the hands of the party in control.

Illinois has 118 House and 59 Senate districts, with democrats currently holding control in both chambers.

All across Illinois, legislators have been holding redistricting hearings in various areas of the state. Redistricting is necessary after each decennial census to adjust for population changes within district boundaries for the Illinois House and Senate.