2011 Redistricting Storm Growing

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 15, 2009 8:40PM

The state is due to explore it's once-every-10-years redistricting plan in 2011 once the census is delivered. Exactly how does the state go about redrawing those boundaries? It's a pretty crazy process, which doesn't surprise us at all. According to WBEZ:

Every ten years - 2011 is the next time - the feds deliver census data to Illinois, and state lawmakers get first crack at drawing a map. But if it's not approved by a June deadline, a commission is put together with four Democrats and four Republicans. If that group can't reach a consensus, [Mike] Lawrence explains, things go a bit nuts.

LAWRENCE: What happens is the lottery actually determines whether a Democrat or Republican will be appointed to an eight-member commission to become the ninth member and therefore tilt the commission one way or another.

That's right - a lottery. And in 1981, 1991 and - yes - 2001, Illinois' districts were ultimately determined not by consensus, but by the secretary of state pulling a name out of a hat, box or whatever.

Check out WBEZ's entire story on the process here.