March 28, 2011
By Andrew Thomason Illinois Statehouse News
CHICAGO — The process of drawing Illinois’ next political map has begun officially.
Senators gathered in a packed committee room to hear testimony from a variety of interest groups and individuals on how the state’s political geography should look for the coming 10 years.
Redistricting takes place every decade in conjunction with new population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Special attention has been given to Chinatown in Chicago because of how it was cut up in 2000. The area has four Illinois House of Representatives districts and three state Senate districts, according to the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.
“Because we’re split up in so many districts, it’s hard for our legislators to be responsive to our needs in our community,” said David Wu, of the Pui Tak Center, a church-based organization serving Chinese immigrants in the city.
Wherever the political lines end up in Illinois, it requires approval from both the Legislature and the governor’s office. Unlike any other redistricting since the adoption in 1970 of the state’s Constitution, both the governor’s office and the Legislature are Democratically controlled.
Watch more from the hearing:
Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.