Gerrymandering

The maps Illinois Democrats approved in 2021 sealed in their political power for a decade — adding one Hispanic-majority blue seat in Congress and forcing two Republicans out of their districts.

The office of Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, filed an amicus brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case that could give state lawmakers the power to set election rules, draw congressional maps without any review by state courts, and potentially refuse to certify presidential election results.

The community of 32,000, one of the only growing cities in the Metro East, is split between two congressional districts. Some say this drastically hurts its representation.

The proposals were submitted as a part of the lawsuits challenging the state's new legislative district maps and would create more majority Latino and Black districts.

The number of downstate representatives is about the only thing that’s staying the same. The new boundary lines will likely swing the 13th District back to the Democrats.

The final draft pits two incumbent Democrats in Chicago against each other and creates a downstate district that leans democratic.

The new district boundaries also create a second district in the Chicago area that the state’s growing Latino population could capture.

National Democrats are pushing the party in Illinois to produce a congressional map that guarantees as many Democratic-leaning districts as possible.

Two county Republicans allege Democrats conspired to dilute conservative presence in some districts in the newly proposed redistricting map.

St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Eric Schmid of STLPR and Hannah Meisel of NPR Illinois about how Illinois Democrats are handling an unusual redistricting cycle.