Rock Island Today

State Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) is reminding voters that despite promising not to sign partisan-drawn legislative maps, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed partisan-drawn maps twice.

“It's not deja vu you're having,” Stoller recently posted on Facebook. “Gov. Pritzker did sign politician-drawn legislative maps. He has now broken his promise to the people of Illinois twice. By signing the maps today, the Governor effectively ignored the will of the people.”

Democratic lawmakers refigured the maps after their first effort raised questions about violations of the Constitution’s one-person, one-vote principle.

“He once again signed a map that allows the majority party to pick their voters, instead of allowing the people of Illinois to pick their legislators,” Stoller said.

The first-term lawmaker isn’t the only one pointing to the discrepancy raised by the pledge Pritzker made as a candidate to veto any maps drawn along partisan lines and the way Democrats created the maps now being debated.

“Drawing district maps in locked back rooms yet again, Illinois lawmakers underscored their utter disregard for the will of the people and for the bedrock democratic principles of open government by and for the people,” CHANGE Illinois Executive Director Madeline Doubek said in a press release. “Gov. Pritzker said he wanted maps that reflect the state’s rich diversity. These maps fall far short of that request and should be rejected by him.”

Other groups calling on the governor to honor the veto pledge he made as a candidate include the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations, Latino Policy Forum, the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Common Cause Illinois, Agudath Israel of Illinois, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Nonprofit Utopia.

Meanwhile, Stoller recently opened a new office in Geneseo, which he hopes will better serve his constituents in one of Illinois’ largest geographic Senate districts. He welcomed constituents to the office's grand opening on Sept. 14.