However, that is not the only major reform effort being expressed through the initiative process now in Illinois. The Fair Map Amendment concentrates solely on redistricting. Free and Equal is happy to see an effort to bring publicity to this important issue.

Elections cannot be truly free and equal unless the voters have choices. And yet in so many races across the country, voters see only one government-approved candidate listed on the general election ballot — most often the incumbent.

According to the Fair Map website, “98% of elections for the Illinois legislature are won by the incumbent.” That fact alone speaks volumes about the need for redistricting reform.

The Fair Map Amendment would take the task of drawing the new legislative districts away from the secretive processes in the legislature, where it is dominated by party bosses, and bring it out into the open by handing it to an independent citizens’ commission.

That commission would be required to receive citizen input through public hearings, and would be bound by specific objective criteria designed to “protect minority voting rights and aim to eliminate partisan advantage.”

If both Putback and Fair Map make it through the massive legal and petitioning obstacles placed before them by Illinois law and are approved by the voters, they would create a conflict that would have to be sorted out, not by the voters, but by the Illinois Supreme Court.

What’s important, however, is that people are talking about these issues. We hope that efforts on behalf of both the Putback Amendment and the Fair Map Amendment can help shape the public-policy debate in Illinois and create a legislature that conforms to the will of the voters.

In our view Fair Map is an excellent starting point for this vital public-policy discussion. It has been endorsed by organizations with a strong reputation for advocating open and responsive government, including the Illinois League of Women Voters and the Better Government Association.

Free and Equal will be active in the fight over redistricting over the next two years. If Illinois, perhaps the most politically-corrupt state in the nation, can be reformed, then there is hope for true reform in every state.

The role of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation is to bring people together across partisan and state lines to enact reforms that will make all elections truly free and equal. Please help us hit the ground running in 2010 with your donation today!

yours in liberty,