Illinois Approves State Legislative Maps
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday afternoon, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) approved Illinois’ revised state House and Senate redistricting maps. In Illinois, the Democratic-controlled state Legislature is primarily responsible for drawing map, which are subject to gubernatorial veto. Illinois was the first state to begin the redistricting process, using estimates to approve state House, Senate and Supreme Court districts on June 4, ahead of a state constitutional deadline and prior to the U.S. Census Bureau’s release of final data. Revised districts were passed by the General Assembly at the end of August.
In his statement, Pritzker highlighted that the new maps “preserve minority representation and reflect Illinois’ diversity.” No Republican member of the General Assembly voted to advance the maps, which are likely to deepen the Democratic supermajority in the state. Illinois’ population loss in the past 10 years means the Prairie State has one less congressional seat to draw when the Legislature considers new congressional districts in October.