Rockford Sun

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) has co-sponsored constitutional reform legislation that would provide Illinois voters a more active role in the democratic process, he said on Facebook.

“I believe in giving the people of Illinois back their voice — a voice that too often has been ignored as a result of decades of legislative corruption and mismanagement,” Syverson said. “The power to effect changes in our state government should be in the hands of the people, not in the hands of the political elite.”

The legislative package includes four proposed constitutional amendments, the senator said.

One would create an independent redistricting commission.

"The chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and the most senior Supreme Court justice of the opposite party would jointly select 17 commissioners to serve on the commission," Sverson said. "The commission would be comprised of seven individuals representing the Democratic Party, seven individuals representing the Republican Party, and three independent commissioners. The first redistricting process would occur in 2023 and then after every subsequent federal decennial census."

Another constitutional amendment would allow voters to make more substantive changes to the legislative process, Syverson said.

"This amendment would put voters in the driver’s seat, allowing them to circulate petitions for and vote on many key issues such as taxation, redistricting, and other important constitutional provisions," he said.

Other provisions would allow voters to recall elected officials including the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, the auditor general, members of the General Assembly, and local government  officials.

"Currently, only the governor is subject to recall,“ Syverson said. "This package of reforms gives Illinoisans the tools they need to take back their government. It provides the needed checks and balances that have been lost in Illinois.”