name- Representing Paid for by Support Independent Maps. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the Board's official website ( or for purchase from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.

State Legislative Districts The geographic area a state Senate or House member represents Once a decade after the Census, districts are redrawn to be equal in population The current partisan process in Illinois: House & Senate pass a plan, and the Governor approves it. If unable to agree, legislators create a commission. If that fails... nuclear option.

How is that Working? In 2011, Democratic House, Senate, Governor passed a plan maps drawn by a single party in secret challenged but failed in federal court, judge said “was a blatant political move to increase the # Democratic seats” Previous 3 decades, the backup commission failed and tiebreaker assigned Democrats won tie-breaker twice and Republicans won the drawing once. maps drawn by a single party in secret

The Problem? Redistricting has a substantial impact on our democracy Can be drawn to give one party a distinct voting advantage Candidates/incumbents can be cut out or crowded into a district Communities can be split to dilute their vote or merged to limit their representatives It is called gerrymandering and both parties do it Voters become disillusioned and stop voting

Bottom Line Only one candidate was on the ballot in 82 of 137 House and Senate elections in November % of legislative elections were uncontested! The party picks the voters rather than the voters picking their officials

Solution By adopting the Independent Map Amendment, the redistricting process in Illinois will: Produce Illinois House and Senate districts drawn without regard to incumbency or partisanship; Attract more candidates for the General Assembly and more competition for legislative seats, resulting in more choices for voters; Protect the voting rights of racial and ethnic minorities and prohibit drawing maps that dilute or diminish the ability of racial or language minority communities to elect the candidates of their choice; Respect communities with shared interests and avoid breaking through political and geographic boundaries; and Allow the public to view and participate.

Independent Maps Amendment Place an amendment to the Illinois Constitution on November 2016 ballot to eliminate gerrymandering Establishes an 11-member Independent Redistricting Commission to draw the maps Uses a proven process to select the commission Requires public transparency Defines clear criteria excluding political party

Selecting the Redistricting Commission Application – any Illinois citizen can apply Qualification – (100) Auditor General’s 3-member Applicant Review Panel chosen at random from pool of registered voters. Applicant Review Panel selects the 100 most qualified from applicants. Names available for public review. Removal – Each of 4 top legislative leaders remove five from pool. Selection – Random draw of 7 from remaining 80 in pool. Appointment – Each of 4 top legislative leaders appoint one from the pool, bringing commission membership to 11.

Criteria for Independent Maps Contiguous, substantially equal in population, and in compliance with federal laws Not drawn to dilute or diminish the ability of a racial or language minority community to elect the candidates of its choice Respecting the geographic integrity of cities, towns, and other units of local government Respecting the geographic integrity of communities sharing common social and economic interests Not drawn to purposefully or significantly discriminate against or favor any political party or group, and not considering the residence of any person

What has changed from 2014? Not for profit organization with a highly respected governing board. Paid petition firm (successful with 2014 term limits initiative) will collect signatures early and confirm validity early Starting 4 months earlier – summer months are optimum Wording of the amendment has been revised to address constitutionality issues raised by the courts The need for this change is better recognized by the voters

Next Steps Sign – need 300,000 valid signatures by registered Illinois voters by April 2016 to get the amendment on the ballot Circulate petitions among family and friends Invite us to attend organization meetings Inform others when it appears on the November 2016 ballot Paid for by Support Independent Maps. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the Board's official website ( or for purchase from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.