August 25, 2017
To the Honorable
Members of
The Illinois Senate,
100th General
Assembly:
Today,
I veto Senate Bill 910, which adds new county board redistricting requirements
based on minority status.
Minority
communities always have been a vibrant part of Illinois’ cultural and political
fabric and one that this Administration has supported and embraced. Minority
voting rights already are strongly protected by the U.S. Constitution, the
federal Voting Rights Act, and the Illinois Constitution. Those guarantees
provide a comprehensive framework for ensuring that each citizen’s right to be
heard in an election is protected.
Senate
Bill 910 does not provide the careful, thoughtful treatment this subject
deserves. Instead, it provides a shorthanded attempt at codification of detailed
constitutional and federal law requirements that likely is to create additional
confusion in an already complex area. That attempt is likely to provide little
additional, practical protection while adding another layer of law to
complicate government. For instance, Senate Bill 910 provides the unenforceable
and confusing directive that “[t]o the extent practicable,” county board
districts “shall” be drawn to form certain types of districts. A county board
facing this requirement will be hard-pressed to determine what it is required
of it or to protect itself from challenges.
Rather
than add additional regulatory burdens to local government, the General
Assembly should focus on comprehensive reform of the redistricting process. As
it currently exists statewide, redistricting is an exercise in political power
that ignores the local control that it is supposed to guarantee. Rather than
address a single aspect of local-level redistricting, the General Assembly
should adopt a comprehensive redistricting process that prevents legislators
from redistricting for their personal benefit at the expense of voters.
Therefore,
pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
hereby return Senate Bill 910, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government,” with
the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR