Fight for Fair Ward Maps
Chicago's City Council must legislate new ward maps based on population figures from the 2020 Census. All signs are that we will again get gerrymandered wards that protect incumbents and fragment racial, ethnic and other communities of Chicago.
Take Action
Write or call in a complaint to the Rules Committee (Michelle Harris is the Committee Chair) about their providing little time for residents to submit written comments. The Rules Committee announced public hearings on Friday, November 5 with written submissions due by 10 a.m. Monday, November 8.
Testify at one of three virtual hearings of the Rules Committee on November 9, 10, and 15, all at 3 pm. Learn more about how to participate.
Write or call your alderperson. You can write in your own words using some of the points provided here or use the wording suggested by Change IL. Find your alderperson.
Attend the rally on November 15 to show your support for better mapping of Chicago’s wards. Look out for more details after rally plans are finalized by the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission.
Whatever you do, enlist five friends to do it too.
What You Should Know
The League of Women Voters supports independent redistricting to achieve legislative districts that are compact and contiguous, maintaining and supporting ethnic, racial, and neighborhood groups.
The privately-funded Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission released its People's Map on October 1. The Commission’s process for developing its map, including the criteria it aimed to meet in the final map, models how a legislated independent redistricting commission could operate.
The City Council has not released a schedule for legislating ward maps that includes:
A date for introducing a bill with a detailed map description
A schedule of hearings and public discussion of the map included in the bill
A date for introducing a bill with a proposed final map that includes explanations for the changes from the first draft map
A date for a final vote on the ward maps for Chicago for the next ten years
The League calls on the Chicago City Council to engage in a mapping process for 2021 that protects communities instead of incumbents and pass legislation empowering an independent commission to draw maps in 2031.