By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Republicans say they do not trust the supermajority Democrats to do a fair job of redrawing legislative maps. The problem now, they say, is that the Democrats would use the allegedly far less reliable American Community Survey rather than wait for U.S. Census numbers.

“The purpose of this is to make sure we shine a light on the Democrats in this process,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) said at a statehouse news conference Wednesday. “They want to maintain absolute power, absolute control.”

“You can go over to the Stratton Building, you can see there are secret rooms there where the maps get drawn. There is going to be nobody who has testified at these hearings,” said State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield), referring to more than two dozen hearings around the state, “that’s going to be allowed in that room when the majority draws the maps, and that is what people are going to be frustrated about.”

“The Governor promised to veto any map which is not fair, and that stance has not changed,” reads a statement from the governor’s office. The maps have to be done by June 30.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]