Abstract
Like most states, Illinois is no stranger to political gerrymandering. Since 2010, redistricting reformers have made repeated efforts to change the way Illinois's political maps are drawn, essentially by minimizing or eliminating the role lawmakers play in the process. Polls show the vast majority of Illinoisans support such a change. Reformers have chosen Illinois's citizen ballot initiative as their vehicle to amend the redistricting process, but every proposed initiative has been struck down in court before reaching voters. Most recently, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected a proposed initiative in Hooker v. Illinois State Board of Elections. This Note argues the court's reasoning in Hooker is problematic and may serve as a death blow to redistricting reform via Illinois's citizen ballot initiative. This Note also discusses the relevant players in Hooker as well as the relevant history of Illinois's redistricting and the citizen ballot initiative.
Recommended Citation
Thomas Q. Ford,
The Question for Another Day: Hooker v. Illinois State Board of Elections and Its Effect on the Vitality of Citizen Ballot Initiatives and Redistricting Reform in Illinois,
93
Chi.-Kent L. Rev.
897
(2018).
Available at:
https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol93/iss3/11
