Gov. Pritzker signs Illinois General Assembly’s redistricting maps

From ABC7CHICAGO –

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the General Assembly’s proposed redistricting maps into law Friday, saying they “reflect Illinois’ diversity.”

“Illinois’ strength is in our diversity, and these maps help to ensure that communities that have been left out and left behind have fair representation in our government,” Pritzker said. “These district boundaries align with both the federal and state Voting Rights Acts, which help to ensure our diverse communities have electoral power and fair representation.”

The district boundaries account for population changes in the state, particularly in the regions that saw the most population loss as recorded by U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, the governor’s office said.

Republicans said they felt shut out of the process and were critical of Democrats’ use of the American Community Survey data.

“It’s inappropriate, it’s not accurate, it doesn’t reflect the actual counts of people who live in the state of Illinois and where in the state of Illinois those individuals live,” said State Rep. Tom Demmer, deputy minority leader, R-Dixon.