Illinois Democrats Push Redistricting. Again.

Written by David E. Smith

Rigging the Map 

On Monday, April 20, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch filed House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 (HJRCA 28), a proposal to amend the state constitution and redefine how legislative and congressional districts are drawn.

After suspending the rules to fast-track this legislation, House Democrats moved the measure out of committee on a partisan vote. It was quickly moved to the House floor where the Democrats voted 74 to 38 to pass it. (Watch the House floor debate HERE.)

It now heads to the Senate for consideration, where Democrats hold a 40–19 supermajority.

Proponents of this highly controversial proposal frame it in terms of fairness and representation. Speaker Welch defended the proposal by emphasizing the importance of diversity, stating that Illinois deserves a legislature that “looks like them.” Evidently Speaker Welch’s definition of diversity does not include political ideology.

House Republicans, including Deputy Minority Leaders Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), Amy Elik (R-Alton) and Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) held a press conference in response to this latest gerrymandering push. They warn that this amendment could weaken long-standing standards like compactness and contiguity—principles meant to ensure that communities are kept together and represented honestly.

“Closed door deals. Partisan district lines. Communities split apart for political gain. Politicians hand picking their voters. And now, an attempt to change our State Constitution to make it even easier,” said Representative Elik. “The leadership at the top of the Democratic machine has proven time and again, they will protect themselves first and the people of Illinois last.”

Today, 10 of Illinois’ 17 congressional districts are anchored in Cook County, and only 3 are represented by Republicans. That outcome traces back to maps drawn under the leadership of the previous Democratic House Speaker, Michael Madigan, whose tenure ended in disgrace but whose influence on the political landscape remains.

This imbalance persists even though a significant portion of Illinois voters—often more than 40 percent—support Republican candidates in statewide races. While no system will produce perfect outcomes, such a wide gap raises legitimate questions about whether the process is serving voters fairly.

Governor JB Pritzker once pledged to support “compact, contiguous, and fair” districts. Many Illinoisans are now left wondering whether that promise still guides the decisions being made today.

As Christians, we are called not only to pray for our leaders, but also to seek justice and speak truth with humility and courage. Public policy is not separate from our faith—it is one of the ways we love our neighbors and pursue the common good.

Isaiah 10:1 warns us:

Woe to those who enact evil statutes
And to those who constantly record unjust decisions…

Take ACTION: Now is the time to respectfully make your voice heard. Click HERE to send an email to your state senator and urge him or her to oppose HJRCA 28. Ask your senator to uphold fair redistricting standards that do not disenfranchise conservative counties and that reflect the political will of the people.

And as you do, please commit this issue to prayer. Pray for wisdom for our leaders, for election integrity, and for a renewed commitment to justice in our state.

Silence in moments like this forfeits future elections and allows corrupt agendas to persist. We must stand firm and be faithful as we seek to uphold what is good, true, and just.

This article was composed and finalized by the author.
IFA staff and AI tools were used for proofing and clarity.