The Illinois Capitol building. | Photo Courtesy of Jim Brown/Flickr
The Illinois Capitol building. | Photo Courtesy of Jim Brown/Flickr
A coalition of Latino Leaders member, Armando Cardenas, is pushing for Hispanics/Latinos in his Rockford community to get the representation he thinks they deserve through redistricting.
"I would like to recommend your committee consider the establishment of a Hispanic/Latino district in the Rockford area," Cardenas told lawmakers while appearing at a House Redistricting Committee hearing earlier this month. "I'm hoping our local representative will support the idea of a Hispanic/Latino district."
With the state on tap for its once every decade legislative redistricting this summer, the political fighting has begun between Republicans and Democrats.
GOP lawmakers are now pushing for what they consider to be a fairer and more just system, the 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 currently has 118 House and 59 Senate districts, with democrats presently holding control in both chambers.
Lawmakers have been holding redistricting hearings in various areas throughout Illinois. Redistricting is necessary after each decennial census to adjust for population changes within district boundaries for the Illinois House and Senate.
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