Illinois voters want to take drawing political maps out of politicians’ hands

Voters in Illinois who don't want politicians to draw the state's political maps are one step away from putting the question up for a vote.

Unfortunately, that step means letting Illinois' political machines whack at their reform attempts.

"We anticipate a lot of scrutiny," Mike Kolenc, the campaign manager for Yes for Independent Maps, told Illinois Watchdog. "This a lot of power that the status quo would be giving up. We expect a robust challenge to our signatures, and we're ready for that."

His group has collected nearly 500,000 signatures to get a new redistricting process placed on the November ballot, well more than the 298,000 needed.

If Kolenc and his group get their way, voters will decide if a computer should be given the job of drawing Illinois' political boundaries, or if lawmakers will continue to draw lines that benefit them.

"This is not about pointing out which districts are drawn incorrectly. This is about putting in place an independent process that is transparent, drawing maps with non-partisan criteria," Kolenc added.

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