DeKalb Times

State Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) is raising questions on the the validity of recently revised Democratic-drawn legislative district maps.

According to a report from The Center Square as syndicated on Yahoo! News, back in May, Democratic Illinois legislators passed new legislative maps which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed. State Republicans filed a lawsuit contending that the maps were not valid since Democrats relied on estimates instead of population data from the U.S. Census Bureau as is typical during the mapmaking process. Data from the bureau was delayed this year due to COVID-19, but it has since released the final data.

In late August, Keicher asked Rep. Theresa Mah, a Democrat from Chicago, if the maps were being revised because they were invalid and what was the point of an upcoming hearing on the legislative maps? Mah responded that the previously proposed maps weren't invalid, but that adjustments were being made based on the new census data, and that public input was also being taken under consideration.

"If there was no issue with the map viability ... why the revision? Well, because what the Democrats in Illinois won't tell you is Madigan is gone, but his playbook was left behind," Keicher wrote in a Sept. 14 Facebook post.

This isn’t the first time that Keicher has spoken out against the proposed map. 

In a Sept. 2 Facebook post, he wrote "Again, Illinois Democrats force through a shady map via a sham process and breaching their oath to support a Fair Maps process. I’m pretty sure the Governor will again break his promise and sign it despite the minority interest groups urging him not to."

In early September, he had urged Pritzker to keep a promise he made during his election of not signing off on any "unfair maps" and to veto the bill, according to the Kane County Reporter.

"Politicians should not be drawing maps. Period," Keicher said in a statement. "I join those urging Governor Pritzker to stand by his campaign promise and veto this bill.”

State Republicans are urging for amendments and public review to change the redistricting process and have filed legislation to create an independent commission to handle the mapmaking process, WSIL News reported last March.

The new maps will go into effect in 2023 and will be in place for ten years.