Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Responds to Redistricting Wars and Flawed Reforms
Dear CLC community,
Redistricting typically happens once every ten years, after the U.S. Census, with the goal of ensuring that every voter has an equal voice and fair representation. Right now, we are seeing several states move toward a mid-cycle redrawing of maps with the goal of manufacturing the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections.
Now is a good time to remind government leaders who they work for – the people.
When partisan gamesmanship, on either side of the aisle, takes priority over protecting the freedom to vote, it’s our democracy that suffers. Gerrymandering is not a new practice, but the influence we are seeing from the federal administration that is pressuring state leaders to protect its playbook and manipulate the future of our politics should be alarming to all of us.
Voters should decide the outcome of our elections. Fair representation means allowing voters to participate in the redistricting process, that community voices are heard, and that all voters, including those from historically marginalized communities, can elect candidates of their choice.
The rush we are seeing to redraw maps mid-cycle behind closed doors will result in ignoring communities of color and diluting their voting power. These actions will have long-term ramifications, and we must prevent this harm before the damage is done.
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and our clients have seen firsthand the negative impacts caused by unfair maps. When partisan gain takes priority, communities lose their opportunity to have their voices heard. In 2021, we filed suit under the Voting Rights Act after a redistricting map diluted Black voting power in East St. Louis. The court allowed the map to stand and, for the first time in decades, East St. Louis no longer has a Black state representative. In 2021, we also advocated for communities of color during Indiana redistricting, given growing Black, Latino, and Asian American populations frustrated by vote dilution.
Sacrificing the voting rights of communities of color is unacceptable in redistricting, and it is also unacceptable in hasty attempts at “reform,” such as the recently announced Fair Maps Illinois proposal. A truly fair map would meaningfully incorporate input and concerns of communities of color at the formative stages, rather than leave redistricting to a tiny politically connected group or to a random tiebreaker selection. Protecting voting rights and guaranteeing fair representation must be our priority if we are to maintain a democracy that truly serves its people.
When redistricting wars and flawed reforms can leave voters feeling defeated, there is a path forward to strengthen voting rights. This is an opportunity to call on Illinois leaders to add robust protections for voters. This is why we are working with a broad state-wide community-based coalition to advance the Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2025 that adds strong protections for voters of color, expands language access requirements, and prohibits discrimination.
For decades, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights has worked to protect the voting rights of communities across Illinois and the Midwest. Voting is how we make our voices heard, hold power accountable, and shape the future of our communities.
We cannot allow these redistricting wars to silence us.
Our democracy depends on it.
In solidarity,
Ami Gandhi
Director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program
Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights