A proposed constitutional amendment advancing in the Illinois General Assembly is once again raising concerns about how legislative maps are drawn.

The proposal (HJRCA 28) would change the standards used to draw legislative districts, Those changes however, still allow legislators to draw their own districts leaving voters once again out of the process.

State Senator Dave Syverson says any changes that still allow politicians to draw their own districts creates bad outcomes.

“When you have an independent commission, like Iowa does drawing maps, the elected officials are responsible to the voters,” Senator Syverson said. “However, when you have Political parties drawing their own districts then then politicians are beholden to their political leaders, not the voters.”

Illinois already faces scrutiny over its current legislative maps. The state received an “F” grade for gerrymandering from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, with critics pointing to district lines that divide communities and favor political insiders.

At the center of the debate is a basic principle of representative government: voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around.

Senator Syverson believes that maintaining fair and transparent map-drawing standards is the only way to ensure public trust and protect the integrity of elections in Illinois.