Redistrict Illinois

The elections in Illinois showed a clear mandate for Democrats again. Obama got 70% of the vote. The state has a Democratic Governor and the Senate and House are controlled by Democrats. Yet, because of antiquated districts, the Democrats only have a one seat advantage in their U.S. House delegation.

Is it time to redistrict Illinois? In Texas, the Republicans faced a similar situation. Under the watchful eye of Tom DeLay, the Texas legislature drew new boundaries. Without the Texas seats, the House Republicans probably would have lost a seat this year.

DeLay and Texas set the precedent that there is no reason to wait for the census to redistrict. Power is enough. I bet Illinois legislators could do an even better job and do it without all the illegal activity that apparently took place in Texas.

Dennis Hastert and Henry Hyde are two dinosaours who clearly don't represent the new Democratic trend in the state. I bet there are some creative ways that their districts, which abut one another, could be made much more demographically representative.

Based on the trends, it is clear that Illinois should have more Democrats in Congress. With more appropriate congressional district boundaries, that can happen.