Galesburg Reporter

As dozens of House Democrats and Republicans filed in and out of the Capitol Complex last week, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Westchester) reportedly showed lawmakers behind closed doors where new district lines could be drawn, according to a May 6 WCIA article.

The news sparked a quick backlash from Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy), who said it is only fair representation to let residents choose their own elected officials and district maps. 

"Throughout the redistricting hearings, we heard over and over again how Illinoisans wanted more transparency. Partisan map-making behind locked doors is the exact opposite of what 75% of people favored when they said they wanted an independent process," Tracy said in a May 6 Facebook post. "We need to be working overtime to regain the trust of the people, to give them fair representation and to let THEM pick their elected officials. Locking everyone else out is not the answer." 

While some state representatives anonymously confirmed they were reviewing possible new district map lines, others avoided questioning altogether or answered evasively, WCIA reported. Those who responded said they saw minor changes in the map itself and said the map might have more changes before a finalized map is approved. 

Republicans said that Democrats should wait until the complete data is released before working on the map or discussing it and highlighted that a low turnout rate at public proceedings is a factor in suggesting the wait. 

If Democrats did wait, it would allow Republicans to have more say in the redistricting process. If a new map is not approved by June 30, an eight-person bipartisan commission is created tasked with building the new maps. That commission would include four Democratic and four Republican legislators. 

The entire U.S. Census data will be available in September. It was delayed because of COVID-19. However, the data for congressional districts became available in late April. It showed that Illinois would lose one seat in the House of Representative seat.