For Immediate Release                                                                                          July 23, 2009

Springfield, Ill. – A hearing on gerrymandering reform that had been delayed twice before, is finally set to be held July 29, in Chicago.

State Senator Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington) explained gerrymandering is the practice of drawing legislative district boundaries to give an advantage to a particular candidate or party. Illinois has been sharply criticized for its system of drawing state legislative and congressional district boundaries because it allows politicians to pick their voters, rather than allowing the voters to pick their representatives.

The hearing, initially set for July 15, was first pushed back to July 22, before finally being posted for the 29^th.  

Senator Duffy said that reforming the state’s system of drawing legislative district boundaries is essential to address the excessive partisanship and lack of accountability that has plagued Illinois state government. Many reform proponents fear that by consistently pushing back redistricting hearings, legislative leaders who benefit from partisan gerrymandering are purposely undermining genuine reform efforts. Proponents of redistricting reform argue that restoring accountability to Illinois government must begin with the most basic function of democracy – elections. And, to assure fair and competitive elections it is vital to take the politics out of drawing legislative and congressional districts.

It is unknown whether these delays will impact other redistricting hearings, which were originally scheduled to take place in Peoria in August, Carbondale in September and Springfield in October.

The term “gerrymandering” come from combining salamander and the name of Elbridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812. In 1812, Gerry signed into law a redistricting plan that was designed to benefit his political party. The term was first used in the Boston Gazette of March 26, 1812 to describe a district that the newspaper likened to the shape of a salamander. The newspaper referred to the district as a "Gerry"-mander.

Legislation recently signed into law includes:

Funeral Homes (HB 1353/PA 96-0048): Allows the Secretary of DFPR to suspend the funeral home licenses of facilities that pose an imminent danger to the public.

Internet Gaming (HB 617/PA 96-0047): Specifies ways that consumers who utilize an Internet game service can easily cancel that service online.

North Shore Sanitary District (HB 2409/PA 96-0049): Reduces North Shore Sanitary District competitive bidding and contracting requirements to allow the District to more promptly award contracts for repairs needed to maintain compliance with the NPDES permit.

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