Sangamon Sun

Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe blasted Democrats in the Assembly for their failure to stand up for the Independent Map Amendment ballot measure which was blocked this year.

"Rank-and-file Dems say nothing and shrug their shoulders when the political machine attacks fair maps," Yaffe said. "Led by [House] Speaker [Mike] Madigan (D-Chicago), the Democratic Party of Illinois has gone all in against Independent Maps, even as rank-and-file Democrats claim to support remap reform on the campaign trail. This weekend, editorial boards chastised Illinois Democrats for their silence on Madigan’s lawsuit and their disingenuous 'support' of fair maps."

While nearly 600,000 voters were willing to put their signatures on an initiative that would implement an independent commission to redraw district maps every 10 years, it did not make it to a vote on the November ballot. Although the State Elections Board certified the signatures, the People's Map group and Democratic Party General Counsel Mike Kaspar filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on the grounds that the amendment was unconstitutional.

After Judge Diane Larsen ruled against the amendment, supporters took the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. The higher court split along party lines in its decision, with the four Democratic judges upholding the lower court's ruling in a 4-3 decision.

Yaffe and local editorial boards over the Labor Day weekend said that while rank-and-file Democrats pay lip service to redistricting reforms, Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) remain unchallenged within their domains. The party lines remain unbroken, from the General Assembly up to the Illinois Supreme Court.