Here’s how some have described the Illinois state redistricting map:
Joe Walsh and Judy Biggert are members of a beleaguered species: Hermit Crab Republicans. […] In fighting a Democratic-controlled redistricting plan, they join other Illinois Republican members of Congress in an unavoidable but still unseemly tale of your democracy at work. — James Warren, Chicago News Coop [read more]
Coming off of last year’s midterms, Democrats wearily eyed Illinois as the only state where they could achieve wide redistricting victories. The only question was whether the state’s leadership, which had contributed to a string of recent political failures, would impose lines that could impact the national balance of power. The plan released late last week and already passed through the legislature indicates that state Democrats are prepared to do just that. — Mark Greenbaum, The Christian Science Monitor [read more]
And here’s some thoughts on the DeKalb County redistricting map:
Thank you to everyone in this group and in DeKalb County that tried to fight against partisanship and stand up for fairness and common sense. Unfortunately, 13 county board members put party before residents and their own community. Mark Pietrowski, Fair Map DeKalb County [read more]
Most exciting to me was learning of the fact that because of the redistricting all 24 of the county board seats are up for re-election in the 2012 election cycle. Now that could bring change especially if the current incumbents don’t quit listening to the appointed staff more than they do their electors. — Mac McIntyre, DeKalb County Online [read more]
Sycamore is well on their way to redistricting their ward maps. Here’s the scoop on their efforts:
The Sycamore City Council unanimously agreed Monday that it plans to support a sixth model map of the new boundaries for the city’s wards. Four maps created by the DeKalb County Information Management Office were presented to the council for consideration at its June 6 meeting. Though the city has until 2013 to tackle reapportionment, City Manager Bill Nicklas has said it makes sense to take care of it now while redistricting is happening at other levels of government. – Caitlin Mullen, Daily Chronicle [read more]
Assuming the sale, here’s the soon to be adopted ward redistricting map for the City of DeKalb. It tries to equalize population and representation. It doesn’t give incumbents or party affiliation one iota of consideration. And it was made public BEFORE the City of DeKalb made their staff proposed incumbent friendly map available to the public.
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18 Comments
I sent a letter supporting checking out Mac’s idea to various city officials. I did suggest that they double check on whether it would or would not require a referendum.
I got back a technical answer from Clerk Kapitan and then a correction of an editing error, when i asked his permission to post his answer to me on this blog:
Anyway, here is Clerk Kapitan’s note to me
Herb,
Based on the research that Norma did on this a few years ago State statutes spell out the City’s options. For a city such as ours (under 50K in population) there are two blended district/at-large options provided under State law:
1) Four district wards and three at-large members of the Council. All would be up for election, along with the Mayor, at the same time every four years.
2) The structure for staggered terms would be four districts and two at-large members for a total of six aldermen.
From your description it doesn’t appear that Mac’s proposal would conform to State statutes.
Redistricting the current structure of seven wards is by law. It seems to me that addressing the turnout issues you raise should be addressed first. The Council would decide what is in the best interest of the City under the current structure. Then if a referendum is brought to the voters it could be compared with the current structure as it would be after redistricting.
I appreciate your interest, as well as Mac McIntyre’s, in the redistricting process. Please feel free to call if you have any questions.
(after I asked permission to post this answer, Steve said yes but corrected an editing error:)
I meant to state that redistricting is “required” by law. And that the Council should move on that first.
Herb, when you include me in a group email that includes elected and appointed government officials then I don’t seek permission to publish. I publish.
Mayor and City Clerk:
I’m assuming that there is some consensus that (a) new aldermanic districts have to be roughly even in population and (b) that in setting up new districts a system can be found consistent with (a) that reduces the marked differences in turn out rates in the present districts.
From the newspaper accounts it seems two ideas are being considered: 1. a tinkering with the present wards changing their boundaries and 2. moving to a 5 and 2 system but doing so will require a referendum.
On his blog Mac MacIntyre has proposed a third idea that to me at least merits some consideration.
He is suggesting 4 districts dividing the city into 4 aldermanic wards that run from west to east, ie. having wards that create 4 stripes across the city. And, then he is suggesting having 2 alder people being elected from each of the districts in separate years..
Intuitively, this sounds like a possible proposal to handle the redistricting in ways that would allow wards to be approximately even in population while reducing the wide diversity in turn out.
I would request/suggest the following
1. That Mac’s idea be entered into formal consideration to the council
2. Examining how to step up the 4 striped wards so they have an even population. This should be a simple enough mapping exercise though one that is required before the more complicated step 3 is undertaken.
3. But once the simple exercise is done, information is needed to show if and to what extent these new wards would reduce the marked differences in turnout we now have. Doing so simply involves adding up turnout in the last several city elections by precincts but placing these precincts in the new suggested wards (I’d be cautious to make sure data are only used from contested elections. Perhaps the last two mayoral elections would provide better data than the aldermanic ones) This exercise should be fairly straightforward for anyone — city, county, university–with access to mapping software
4. Mac believes that this striped redistricting would not require a referendum. I tend to be very cautious about such matters and would suggest that legal advise be obtained to make sure he is right. Of course, the 5 and 2 system would require a referendum.
(a) if 7 striped wards were proposed I’m pretty that would not require referendum, but of course 7 striped wards would be very awkward.
(b) my question is whether changing to 4 districts or adding an alder person requires a referendum
5. Even if a referendum were to be required, I would still suggest exploring Mac’s idea.Best
Herb R
Herbert J. Rubin
Professor Emeritus-Sociology
NIU
email and phone number removed“A community will evolve only when the people control their means of communication.” Fanon
and
Herb,
Based on the research that Norma did on this a few years ago State statutes spell out the City’s options. For a city such as ours (under 50K in population) there are two blended district/at-large options provided under State law:
1) Four district wards and three at-large members of the Council. All would be up for election, along with the Mayor, at the same time every four years.
2) The structure for staggered terms would be four districts and two at-large members for a total of six aldermen.
From your description it doesn’t appear that Mac’s proposal would conform to State statutes.
Redistricting the current structure of seven wards is by law. It seems to me that addressing the turnout issues you raise should be addressed first. The Council would decide what is in the best interest of the City under the current structure. Then if a referendum is brought to the voters it could be compared with the current structure as it would be after redistricting.
I appreciate your interest, as well as Mac McIntyre’s, in the redistricting process. Please feel free to call if you have any questions.
Steve Kapitan
City Clerk
City of DeKalb
200 South Fourth Street
DeKalb IL 60115
It’s the thought that counts and I appreciate you putting a word in for me. Again, my point was to offer an alternative to staff proposed maps and to keep the public aware of the process.
I would hope that our city clerk, with the functions of local elections he serves, would be deliberate and consult with the independent sources he has available to him as an office holder.
Could you explain how my proposal has anything to do with blended districts or at large aldermen?
No problem of course in including my whole original letter (just was trying to save space on your blog)
Still,you pose an interesting question: certainly a public officials response to a citizen’s question is public. But should the citizen’s question if not answered be also public?
Probably that is hair splitting and based on the core idea that if I were to say it is a very, warm Tuesday your might disagree and vice versa :).
In any case, my note has a chance of getting your idea out for public discussion and I do feel that it deserves such a discussion. (And speaking substantively I like your idea far more than I would a 4 and 3 or 4 and 2 system)
Next series of questions:
1. Is your idea legal and if so does it require a referendum. I bet because we are home rule your idea somehow can be passed if people do like it.
2. Hopefully someone with a computer and the raw data will check if your idea really does reduce the unequal turnout problem
3. And, to me and most important, maybe the discussion of your idea will encourage council to extend the discussion of remapping to actively encourage larger number of discussants beyond the council itself.
In case you hadn’t notice we are more or less in agreement on these matters.
(on your last question, is that to me or to Steve.? I think all Steve is commenting on is what he was told are the readily available legal alternatives to the current districting)
Herb.
Mac
I too wish on-line, social media and newspaper communications were sufficient for sharing candidates’ messages. Unfortunately that appears not to be the case as the horrendously large campaign budgets that need to be raised for many elections demonstrates. A shame.
You have the skills do do web pages of reasonably quality for a candidate (though of course technically that is an in-kind campaign contribution and if its value exceeds ??? dollars must be reported), but what of those of lack such skills and need to hire others to prepare such pages. Unfortunately, messaging is rarely free.
But get outside of our activist circle and ask people even the names of those in local offices and be prepared to be shocked, disappointed or whatever. You know my own level of involvement yet inevitably I find that there are candidates about whom I know almost nothing and at times whose names I don’t recognize, much less be aware of the agendas they support. .
Don;t get me wrong I am still quite intrigued by your proposal and hope you do request the official maps or prepare them yourself. My comment that the new districts might require more expenditures on campaigns was my thinking out loud on some possible disadvantages to be balanced against the obvious advantages. As of now i am trying to learn how to make sure the three ideas that have been proposed (and hopefully there will be more) all get public and council attention — your vertical striping idea, the 5 and 2 proposal, or the modification at the edges of the current districts.
If the data bear out your contentions about the impact of the striping – — even sized districts with far more even potential turnouts — I strongly prefer it over the 5 and 2 system and also over the tinkeing with the status quo.
Just double checking: are you 100% sure that introducing the 4 vertical districts with two candidates would not require a referendum. If so that is a marked advantage and it allows us to avoid a 5 and 2 system with the obvious downsides of the two at large seats as well as a need for a referendum..
A personal note on how political dialogue helps. Years ago i had thought of the east-west districting but was flummoxed by the need to have so many districts; I confess, I never thought, of having two candidates from each of the districts enabling them to be fatter. Thanks for what in hindsight is an obvious but important idea. (Of course all ideas have a downside; at present us activists have to gear up every 4 years for our ward; your system would require doing so every 2 years and combining that with state and federal elections, turns campaign volunteering into a full time occupation, or it would seem as such).
Herb, I think you’re a master campaign wizard public relations god and I’m lying.
The horrendously large campaign budgets that need to be raised for many elections demonstrates the shameful status of politics today. It’s why our government is For Sale. And it’s how good people like us get stuck with a 17-county megadump just so we can use other people’s money to build a great big jail. Oh the benefits of Government For Sale we have enjoyed here in the Land of Honest Abe: Dan Walker, Otto Kerner, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich. How about Big Bill Thompson, many Daley Jr and Sr appointments and Dan Rostenkowski?
I’m sure you’d agree the way to fix a shame ain’t by throwing more money at it.
Any candidate with the ability to use a word processor or even if they can write, send and receive emails can have a free website through WordPress, Blogger, Live, Typepad, etc. etc. etc. For many a Facebook page is suffice. But to be clear I don’t edit FAA letters and I don’t break campaign contribution laws. My rate is $50 per productive hour and that’s for any and everybody.
Any local ward candidate who spends a lot of money to get elected has signaled their propensity to waste money.
I think my map makes sense even if it makes those who want to control their ward politics have to do their dirty deeds every two years instead of four. If enough people like my map idea then it will become an issue. If not it won’t. I’ll still be excited because redistricting means all wards, odd and even numbered, will be up for election in 2013.
What a great election to have a binding referendum in!
Mac you’re distracting
1. Simply give me the numbers and I’ll push your idea
2. I wish you were right on the cost of campaign stuff. I too think it is a shame and strongly support limits on campaign expenditures. But news stories abound at the cost of campaigns, even in elections in which the candidates views are supposedly well known. I mean why should Presidential candidates need to spend hundreds of millions when their views are well known and often diametrically opposed.
But they do. And, that to me is a shame.
But again you distract. i was just showing a concern that larger districts might require more money being spent in a campaign and that to me is not good. That fear is certainly not a reason to turn down your idea. i like your idea and await confirmation of the numbers. Ever since you had the misfortune of mis reading the state law on signatures for home rule referendum, I’ve been a bit cautious of accepting as gospel anything you say without having it checked. And, I do accept it when you bother to check.
Dont get me wrong. I’m just being cautious, not wanting to write letters, make phone calls, pushing your idea only to find out that the numbers don’t work or it requires a referendum.
You’ve pointed out the horrors of big money in campaigns and i totally concur. I’m not advocating spending big money; I’m pointing out that a possible problem with larger districts might be that people will spend such money.
Sarcasm in response to my thinking out loud is no more constructive than when council members demean those who dissent. Both are attempts to squelch discussion, especially a shame in the current circumstance when we seem to be in agreement.
Herb
Herb, I believe state elections reports will confirm that Dave Baker outspent Kris Povlsen in their last election. The 6th ward is almost a student ward and is when the kids turn out. Point: Size does not matter in campaign spending. Ego and resources? Probably so.
I’m not on the inside. Five and 2? Status Quo expanded map? Well, I guess I’m proud to say that mine was the first map made public! Have they told you when they plan on making theirs public? I’d like to post them here.
I could be wrong, but its more likely the Cubs will win the World Series, but the 5 and 2 will likely require a referendum. The other two likely wouldn’t since the number of wards stay the same or are reduced.
Mac
thanks
if/when you tabulate the actual turnout data for the proposed vertical slice wards and the numbers do work, I’ll join you in trying to get your idea into the formal discussion
Numbers work: simply means that all wards have substantial number of people who regularly turn out for elections (well, given low turn outs substantial might not be the right word, but you get the point). Maybe what we want is that turn out is more even between the wards.
from my other note you can see we concur about not worrying about the tie breaking power of the mayor; only raised that issue as part of the ‘thought experiment’ and also because Mark C had raised it on the DC blog.
We do have to think a bit more about having campaigns that do require contributions. My sense is that at present few aldermanic raises involve much money and to me that is to the good.
Mayoral race (and I’ve been on the guiding committee in 3 races) ends up costing some money only because the radio and newspaper rates for ads are shall we say outrageous, yet there is no other way of reaching out to the whole town. If memory serves me correct the candidate you backed last election lacked needed funds. And, while i did not support her, the fact that she could not get her message out because of a lack of cash, to me is wrong.
Herb
Herb
Herb, based on experience so far with the Clerk and Recorder I’m sure that I or any other citizen could request a map with statistics provided as requested. I will do so after getting more input from you folks.
Your candidate got into the campaign cash race for the first time in his political career, didn’t he? Thank goodness for the new social network media. Those who want to become informed voters are empowered to do so at their convenience. And that creates the opportunity for good candidates to get their message out without selling their principles.
Lynn will do much better should she decide to enter a race in the future.
This link gives you a population per precinct breakdown for DeKalb precincts. The map I used was really for illustrative purposes. Charvat is right that Ward 1 is a bit light on population but just a bit.
I am confused. The county board districts have been re-apportioned but precinct populations range from 526 to 1773. When do precincts get redrawn, and will they have to remain within the county board boundaries?
Oh, excuse me. The range is 526 to 3449.
I’m reasking your questions Lynn. And I’m hoping Phil Young joins this conversation because he’s made some references to redrawn precints that aren’t flattering.
Mac
So you don’t misunderstand. I think your idea is well worth exploring. As an academic, when I like a model what I do is ask what is wrong with the model and then see if i can item by item eliminate what is wrong with it. Posing negatives is not a way of disagreeing with the model, but rather saying can these negatives be explained away and if so doing so strengthens the model
So for example, I wondered about the tie votes. Well, I’m not really worried about tie votes they are infrequent. And, at present when the law says all corporate whatevers have to vote we do already have an even number of people voter. Hence to me that negative is taken care of.
Another one that needs reflection is that the way larger wards, wards probably too large for candidates to do full door knocking, might require more expensive campaigns and all that implies about campaign contributions. Not sure but that is another negative that needs to be thought about.
The exact size and boundaries of course will/could be worked out by the mapping programs so to me those are not problematic
But I can’t resist being flippant. If i can read the very small print on the maps, you have Mark C., Herb R and Lynn F. all in one ward, I mean is that healthy 🙂 couldn’t resist
Ward one looks a little small …not enough population density…Move each dividing line a little south. also, please, get me out of Gallagher’s ward!!
Question:
1, How many current voters in each of the 4 wards — by law should be approximately even. assume it is if you suggested it.
2. How many people voted in the last local elections (at least those that were contested) in each of the 4 proposed wards. Goal to me is to somewhat reduce the large difference in turnout during elections. Map actually looks like it might do it, but would like to see numbers.
3. Does the mapping more or less preserve intact self-defined neighborhoods. (it does for mine, but don’t know for others)
4. Are you concerned about an increase of tie votes with mayor having to break them with an even number of alder persons
thanks for moving this discussion to your blog away from the shorter term DC blog
Herb
herb
Q1 answer: Each ward would need to be around 11,000 population.
Q2 answer: I have voter turnout data for each precinct and I have population precinct but haven’t had time to assemble and merge it all. Student ward turnout is low single digit. Consolidated elections non student turnout mid-20s to mid-30%.
Q3 answer: Yes but in an expansive way.
Q4 answer: Tie votes don’t concern me. A strong mayor could use her/his tie-breaker vote to enhance their bully pulpit. Even in our confusing system of city manager form I think most people want the mayor to put forward a vision for the city.
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This must be the Status Quo ward map Herb is talking about: http://www.cityofdekalb.com/AdministrativeServices/Information%20&%20Technology/IT%20Docs/Ward%20population%202010%20and%20Ward%20map%20with%20Census%20Blocks.pdf
There’s a population table on page 1 of the PDF.
Ward 1? Wow. Explanations?