Chicago City Wire

CHANGE Illinois advocacy director Syamala Krishnamsetty wants to see voters take back their vote through map redistricting.

“At the end of the day, redistricting is about empowering people to create the world they want, and right now communities are not empowered,” Krishnamsetty said in an online forum on the subject hosted by the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. “Take any issue that you care about and the district lines in your state will influence how much movement there will be on that issue.”

Census Bureau officials have said the data used for map redistricting would not be available by a June 30 deadline. 

Republicans, trying to change how the redistricting process works, are calling for sweeping changes to the entire system in the name of a fairer process.

Senate Bill 1325, also known as the People's Independent Map's Act, removes politicians from the equation, granting power instead to the state Supreme Court to be able to appoint 16 independent citizen commissioners to a redistricting commission within 30 days of passage.

Krishnamsetty, a former Republican House candidate in the 40th District, said people have to do everything they can to make sure they stay engaged.

“It’s important for everyday people to care about redistricting because this is a chance to advocate for community and drive policy,” she added.

With the system now allowing the party in power to control the map redistricting process, Democrats stand to call all the shots by virtue of controlling the House, Senate and Governor’s Office.