Whether the truth lies in deliberate gerrymandering, simple administrative awkwardness or somewhere between, Heidi Holan says she’s not buying Illinois Democrats’ latest push to redraw the map by altering the state’s voting precinct boundaries.
A group called the Independent Map Amendment filed a petition recently in Springfield with 570,000 signatures attached in an effort to create and pass an amendment disqualifying legislators from the process of delineating jurisdictions — instead assigning the power to an independent bipartisan commission.
Holan responded to the news in a statement when it became clear that Democrats quickly proposed not one, but two amendments in an attempt to alter the mapping procedure following the flurry of activity. Although the stronger of the two measures did pass, it will not be enacted because it failed to meet a deadline.
“Now the smoke and mirrors show is over in the chambers,” Holan said. “(All) that remains is for the politically correct soundbites claiming support for fair redistricting to be placed on promotional mailings and in television ads for incumbents … as a result of political gerrymandering that lets politicians choose their voters instead of the other way around.”
Decrying the legislative efforts as a disingenuous contrivance, the Republican candidate for state representative in District 46 spoke out against such efforts to pacify taxpayers.
“There is no question that we need fair mapping,” Holan said. “We also deserve a legislature that works for the good of Illinois and refuses to engage in disingenuous games specifically designed to keep certain politicians in office.”
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