Voters near O’Hare to take up gerrymandering, unfunded mandates
Addison Township voters at the April 1 election will tell state lawmakers where they stand on legislative map gerrymandering and state leaders making demands without providing money. Nearly 650,000 Illinoisans’ concerns about major state issues will be represented by these votes.
Addison Township voters will have a chance to voice their opinions April 1 about political redistricting and unfunded state mandates.
Addison Township has about 86,750 residents next to O’Hare International Airport in DuPage County. It includes the communities of Itasca, Bensenville, Addison and Wood Dale.
Voters will have a chance to share opinions on two advisory questions:
Redistricting: “Should the state of Illinois create an independent citizens commission to draw fair and competitive federal and state redistricting maps, rather than allowing lawmakers to decide?”
Unfunded mandates: “Should the state of Illinois be allowed to force unfunded mandates on local governments who may raise property taxes to cover the costs of those mandates?”
Other townships such as Antioch, Palatine, Lamont, Palos, Wheeling, Homer, Winfield and Leyden have all given their voters a chance to vote on at least one of three questions for the April 1 election. The third question is about Illinois’ government pension crisis. The questions are non-binding, meaning they won’t directly change any laws, but they will tell state lawmakers where nearly 650,000 of their constituents stand on the issues.
Barrington Township gave voters the question on pension reform Nov. 5, which passed with 73% voting yes.
Illinois has the worst pension crisis in the nation at $143.7 billion in debt, with only 46% of the funds that will eventually be needed to pay for state worker retirements. Add to that another $70 billion in local government pension debt, which drives Illinois' property tax pain to second highest in the nation.
The unfunded mandate issue is one that drives up property taxes as state leaders impose their will without providing the funds to carry out their directives. Gerrymandering impacts fair elections of federal and state representatives, with incumbents and majority political parties drawing legislative maps that favor them and diminish the chances opponents can win.
The more chances for voters to voice their concerns on these issues, the stronger the message it sends to state lawmakers who currently refuse to address these pressing issues.