Illinois State Representative Charles E. Meier said on Apr. 22 that a proposed constitutional amendment filed by Illinois Democrats would change the current standards for drawing legislative maps in the state. The measure, known as House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 (HJRCA 28), was introduced by Speaker Chris Welch and has passed the Illinois House with only Democrat votes.
The amendment aims to revise how legislative districts are drawn by establishing a ranked list of five criteria, replacing the existing requirements that maps be compact, contiguous, and substantially equal in population. According to Meier, “Compactness is moved to the bottom of the list and qualified by the phrase ‘to the extent practicable.’ I, along with my House Republican colleagues, argue that change would significantly weaken the compactness requirement.” He also said that Republicans have pointed to their lawsuit filed last year which alleges maps passed by Democrats violate Illinois’ compactness standard in 52 of the state’s 118 House districts.
Meier said HJRCA 28 was introduced in response to concerns over a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana v. Callais. The proposal would amend Article IV of the Illinois Constitution regarding decennial redistricting so that legislative and representative districts must be drawn: (1) to be substantially equal in population; (2) to ensure no citizen is denied an equal opportunity based on race; (3) to create racial coalition or influence districts where practical; (4) to be contiguous; and (5) if practicable, to be compact.
House Republicans have urged residents who oppose HJRCA 28 to contact their state senator ahead of Senate consideration and sign a petition at RedoRemap.com opposing its passage. Meier said he voted against it.
Meier was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 109th District in 2023 after replacing David Reis according to Ballotpedia.
The bill now moves forward for consideration in the Illinois Senate.
