On average, more than 4.7 million voting-age Illinoisans live in districts where there was only one option for the state House on the ballot, undermining their representation. Roughly half of all Illinois House races were uncontested under Illinois’ gerrymandered 2011 district map.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Democrats’ partisan legislative and judicial redistricting plans. He had repeatedly promised to veto any maps drawn by state lawmakers for their own benefit.

Tim Mapes, longtime chief of staff to former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to federal charges he lied to a grand jury about Madigan and bribery. Strong ethics reforms can help fix Illinois’ culture of corruption.

Senate Bill 4, the likely vehicle for ethics reform in Springfield, offers slight improvements over the Madigan era. But if Illinois is serious about ending its culture of corruption, key points need more muscle.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave fellow Democrats a very clear signal to gerrymander state legislative maps when he backed off his veto threat and said he trusted them to be fair. Mike Madigan-style maps place 23 Republicans into races against other incumbents.

Illinois is listed as one of the states under ‘extreme’ danger of partisan gerrymandering of its state legislative and congressional redistricting maps. Gov. J.B. Pritzker can stop that threat.