March 16, 2010

The day after the Illinois Senate approved a partisan redistricting scheme, the Daily Herald newspaper blistered lawmakers who had previously committed to the paper that they would instead support non-partisan reforms.

Declaring that “…Democrats backed a plan that still leaves the fox in charge of the henhouse” the Daily Herald warned: “As lawmakers head out to the campaign trail, we hope they won’t try to pretend this is a vote for reform. The people aren’t stupid.”

The editorial pointed out that nearly a year ago, more than 40 state lawmakers of both parties completed a Daily Herald survey in which they pledged to support a non-partisan system of drawing legislative district maps. Instead, six Senate Democrats voted in favor of a partisan redistricting plan that was advanced by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) over a non-partisan plan developed by the League of Women Voters of Illinois and supported by a broad coalition of reform groups.

Download the full editorial.