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Redistricting refers to the process of redefining
the political geographic boundaries including Representative Districts,
Senate Districts, and Congressional Districts. The State Constitution
gives the General Assembly the responsibility for redrawing legislative
boundaries every ten years after the release of the decennial
Census.
According to the Illinois State Constitution,
"In the year following each Federal decennial
census year, the General Assembly by law shall redistrict the
Legislative Districts and Representative Districts" (Article
IV, Section 3).
The 2000 Census provides detailed population and
demographic data necessary for state legislatures to conduct redistricting.
The 2000 census also determines the Congressional Reapportionment
- which is the process of deciding how the 435 Congressional Districts
will be "apportioned" among the 50 states.
On December 28th, 2000 the Department of Commerce
issued an official announcement indicating that based on the 2000
Census, Illinois will lose one of its 20 Congressional Districts.
(http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00cn64.html)
Now it is the role of the General Assembly to determine
how the 19 Congressional Districts will be redrawn. The traditional
guidelines for redistricting based on U.S. Supreme Court decisions
include compactness, contiguity, and the preservation of counties,
communities of interest and the cores of prior districts. The
protection of the rights of racial minorities and the maintenance
of traditional redistricting principles have been the Supreme
Court's major concerns when ruling on redistricting cases.
This web site has been prepared to provide the public
and any interested parties with information about Illinois' redistricting
process.
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