Goals

Community organizations and good government advocates in the city created the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission. We believe the residents of Chicago should shape their own wards to improve representation and delivery of city services.

Our goal was to create and support a community-led-and-driven ward remap process that will strive to keep neighborhoods whole as much as possible. Through this process, Chicago’s Advisory Redistricting Commission has been a model upholding racial equity and engagement, as well as best practices for independent redistricting nationwide.

We aim to build a people-powered ward map for Chicago, by Chicagoans.

What else do you need to know?

We supported the creation of a resident commission, gave it independent redistricting principles to follow and best practices’ training, hired a mapper/demographer, and supported a hearing process that was done openly and centered on Chicagoans. The commission is made up of 13 people who were tasked with producing a map that reduces the splintering of neighborhoods as much as possible, engaged historically marginalized communities and upheld accepted independent mapping principles, including maximizing opportunities for communities of color to elect aldermen of their choosing.

City council just approved a new ward map.
Are you in the same ward?

Did your alderperson vote for the new ward map?

PRESS RELEASE: Council members map another decade of broken government and politics

May 17, 2022

For Immediate Release

For all inquiries, please contact: 
Chaundra Van Dyk
Chicago Project Manager
cvandyk@changeil.org

   Council members map another decade of broken government and politics

CHICAGO, IL – City Council members turned their backs on the people of Chicago in more backroom, closed-door secret meetings to guarantee the re-election of 41 members through a broken ward remap process that was designed from the start to deny residents’ input.

Instead, their ward drawing was built to protect enough incumbents to rob voters of the ability to choose their own futures. Incumbents reduced people and communities to numbers, trading them back and forth between ward boundaries for the purpose of preserving their re-election chances. These council members completely disregarded what the people wanted. They completely disregarded any attempt at keeping communities whole and to provide communities their voting rights. 

Many of the council members who voted for the map previously spoke of the broken system of the past, but when the opportunity arose for them to stop that system and chart a better path, they sided with a process focused on power and self preservation. 

In the wake of this secret backroom map deal, alders that previously stood up publicly for an independent commission must start work today to make it a reality. Chicagoans need their leadership if we are going to break the cycle of communities being sacrificed for political gains. The people of Chicago deserve no less. 

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The CHANGE Illinois Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan, nonprofit educating and advocating for ethical, efficient government and elections.

PRESS RELEASE: CHANGE Illinois Action Fund statement on remap deal

May 9, 2022

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chaundra Van Dyk
Chicago Project Manager
cvandyk@changeil.org

CHANGE Illinois Action Fund statement on remap deal 

CHICAGO, IL – If 41 or more elected council members proceed with a backroom map no Chicagoan has seen, the people of Chicago will have been completely and blatantly disrespected and dismissed by the very people who are supposed to represent them.

For years, people in Chicago have made it clear they want a say in shaping their wards and their communities. For so many elected officials to turn their backs on the people and break their repeated promises in order to yet again serve their own self interests is beyond disheartening. This Madigan/Kasper map serves the Chicago Way and nothing more. The people deserve far, far better. 

PRESS RELEASE: City Council members’ inaction blocks map the people helped shape

April 27, 2022

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chaundra Van Dyk
Chicago Project Manager
cvandyk@changeil.org

City Council members’ inaction blocks map the people helped shape

CHICAGO, IL – While not surprised, we are beyond disappointed today to see that a majority of Chicago’s elected officials turned their backs on the very people they were elected to represent, their constituents, by refusing to vote to approve a Chicago ward map. In doing so with time running out, they are knowingly stopping Chicagoans from having the option of voting June 28th on the only ward map with aldermanic support that the people of the city helped design.

Every Chicagoan now clearly should understand that the 34 council members who refused to approve their ward map did so to make sure the people of Chicago have no say in shaping their communities for the next 10 years. These council members are disrespecting the people by putting on the ballot their map, the one created through a broken, closed-door process designed from the start to block residents’ input and their needs and wants. The 34 council members and Mayor Lori Lightfoot had a model of a fully transparent process, the one conducted by the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission. They had the opportunity to rise above the broken system of Chicago business as usual. Instead, the 34 council members supporting the “Harris map” drawn by Mike Madigan’s lawyer chose to hide behind that closed map room door and bar the people of Chicago from seeing and choosing from all of the maps.

As disappointing as this is, the work of the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund and the commission it supported will not stop. We are committed to bringing in the light. Time does remain before May 19th and we do welcome any effort by the mayor or council members to get a map to the ballot or approved that includes input from the people of Chicago. In the meantime, we will continue to educate Chicagoans about the map options on their ballots. 

We are especially proud of the 13 members of the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission and The People’s Map they created in full public view. That commission drew the first-ever Asian majority ward and a map with 37 majority minority wards that, above all else, kept more Chicago communities whole than any other map proposed. The commissioners listened to the people and produced what they wanted, a compact map that kept many, many communities whole. Commissioners demonstrated that it can be done and how it should be done. 

PRESS RELEASE: The People’s Coalition Map Formally Launches Referendum Campaign

For Immediate Release:
February 23, 2022

Contact:
Rebecca Evans
rebecca@sgstrategies.com | (312) 888-1983

The People’s Coalition Map Formally Launches Referendum Campaign
*Media interviews available upon request*

CHICAGO – City Council members from throughout the city joined activists and advocates from the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund and The People’s Map commission today to launch a citywide referendum campaign aimed at putting power in the hands of the people to determine what the city’s ward map will look like for the next 10 years.

The People’s Coalition Map, a partnership born out of the Coalition Map and The People’s Map, is a ward map that reflects the population of the city and works to keep more communities whole so the people of Chicago can have representation that works for them, from those who understand their communities best.

“The People’s Coalition Map aligns with the Voting Rights Act and responds to robust community input,” Chaundra Van Dyk of the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund said. “This map keeps wards compact, helping voters to hold their alderpeople accountable, and that’s what the vast majority of residents told us they want.”

The People’s Coalition Map is the only map that follows U.S. Census data and accurately reflects the city’s changing population, creating 16 Black majority wards, 15 Latino majority wards, 3 majority-minority wards, and for the first time a 51 percent Asian majority ward.

“As of today, both the City map and The People’s Coalition Map have 16 majority Black wards,” Ald. Susan Sadlowski-Garza (10th) said. “The issue at stake here is keeping communities whole—not splintering communities into multiple wards— and following the data to accurately represent all of Chicago’s minority communities including Latinos and Asians.”

The People’s Coalition Map includes the first Asian-majority ward to reflect the City’s Asian-American population.

“There has never been an Asian City Council member from the Chinatown community,” community member Phan Le said. “Part of the reason for this lack of representation is because Chinatown has been sliced and diced, reducing our voice, but now we have a real opportunity to change that.”

The People’s Coalition Map will launch a full-scale referendum campaign leading up to the Illinois Primary Election on June 28, when the question about the remap will be presented to voters.

“We’re proud to expand our coalition and bring this fight to the people because, at the end of the day, the people should choose their City Council Alderpeople — Alderpeople shouldn’t choose their voters,” said Ald. Gil Villegas (36th), chairman of the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus. “The time is now to stop a pattern of backroom deals and put the power back in the hands of the people.”

The updated map is linked here. The People’s Coalition Map is endorsed by:

CHANGE Illinois, The CHANGE Illinois Action Fund and The People’s Map
Ald. Daniel LaSpata (1st)
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd)
Ald. Anthony Beale (9th)
Ald. Susan Sadlowski-Garza (10th)
Ald. George Cardenas (12th)
Ald. Ray Lopez (15th)
Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd)
Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd)
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th)
Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th)
Ald. Felix Cardona (31st)
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd)
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th)
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th)
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th)

PRESS RELEASE: The people present The People’s Map ordinance to the City Council

The people present The People’s Map ordinance to the City Council

Scores of residents from across Chicago, community organization representatives, former Ald. Dick Simpson, Illinois Redistricting Collaborative members, and Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission members Monday submitted The People’s Map ordinance to the city clerk. 

Accompanied by just less than 1,600 signatures of residents, The People’s Map ordinance was directly introduced by the people as they marched to the City Clerk’s office to submit it for City Council consideration. The people of Chicago are calling upon their elected officials to support The People’s Map, as it is the only ward map drawn fully in public, with resident input. It is an example of true democracy in action. It has been available since mid-September for feedback and final since October. The people of Chicago should be given the chance to choose for themselves which ward map design best serves their needs. 

At a press conference prior to submitting the map, residents and activists discussed the growing support for The People’s Map. 

South Shore activist Desmon Yancy said, “It takes courage to participate in the building of your ward. It takes courage to tell elected officials that you, the people, want to have a voice and real substantial input in the design of your ward. It takes courage to say backroom, secret negotiations are no longer acceptable. We are trying to create a new narrative for a better future and better government for all the people. It takes courage to admit that a new model for collaborative, inclusive and transparent government is possible, and needed.” 

IVI-IPO Public Relations Chair Jim Garfield said, “The People’s Map is one of the strongest examples of the way it should be done. It takes courage to say, politicians … stop with the backroom deals, stop with the horse trading. Let’s get this better map done because it actually helps the communities that you’re here to represent.” 

Anne Shaw, from the Chinatown community, said, “The people have spoken. The Commissioners put in the time and listened to us. And it led to the creation of the first-ever, historic Asian American majority ward. This is history and it deserves a vote by the people!” 

Monse Ayala, a Gage Park resident, said, “The People’s Map is allowing people in Black and Brown communities to know who is representing them and how to hold them accountable. The People’s Map is here to fix a systemic problem by keeping those communities as whole as possible,” she said. 

The People’s Map is a map of all 50 wards created by the people, for the people. It was produced openly, after commissioners received intensive training, and participated in 41 trainings, live-streamed hearings, meetings and map- drawing sessions. Commissioners listened to hours and hours of oral testimony and reviewed written submissions and community maps offered by hundreds of diverse residents. 

The People’s Map was the first to create an Asian American majority ward around Chinatown.

Other highlights of The People’s Map include: 

• Communities historically splintered were kept whole. Austin, Avondale, Back of the Yards, Englewood and Logan Square are some of the communities currently carved up that are kept mostly whole in The People’s Map.

• 7 total minority-majority wards

• 15 majority African American wards

• 14 majority Latino wards

• 2 Latino influence wards of more than 45 percent Latino population, which are among 7 total mixed majority
  minority community wards

• 13 white majority wards

The process of redrawing wards every 10 years, as required by law, historically has been conducted in absolute secrecy by City Council members, who tell residents in hastily planned hearings what their wards will look like, then rush to pass their back-room-created map. This process has all but excluded the people.

Former Alderperson and UIC Political Science Professor Dick Simpson said, “We have produced the fairest, the best, and the map that has been created by the people of the City of Chicago. We will prevail. If only 10 aldermen support us, we will put it on referendum and the people of Chicago will be able to vote their own map into the new law and for the next decade we will have fair maps representing the people of Chicago.” 

It’s time for at least 10 of the 50 members of the Chicago City Council to courageously stand up for open, people-centered government, to keep their campaign promises and support The People’s Map, supporters said.

Abigail Nichols, of the League of Women Voters of Chicago said, “The council has never talked about principles … we’re not hearing anything about it. The People’s Map is the only thing going in Chicago right now and I am proud to stand for the League of Women Voters and for The People’s Map.” 

By law, all maps that win the support of at least 10 different alderpersons will be presented to Chicago voters in an election next year.

The People’s Map has been endorsed by the following Chicago-based organizations:

– League of Women Voters – Chicago 
– Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition 
– Reform for Illinois 
– Rainbow PUSH Coalition 
– IVI-IPO 
– Peace and Education Coalition 
– One Health Englewood 
– Common Cause Illinois 

All the people of Chicago who want a better government, who want a voice in their government, should contact their alderpersons now and encourage them to support the people by becoming a sponsor of The People’s Map. To take action, go to https://chicagoswards.org/take-action and let your alderperson hear from you.

The Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission is an independent body of Chicago residents working to create a ward map for Chicago through an open process and community input.