Prison officials need prodding to enforce new prison gerrymandering law
Taking a giant step toward achieving a more equitable government, Illinois’ ban on prison gerrymandering law, The No Representation Without Population Act, took effect at the start of this year.
If you are unfamiliar with prison gerrymandering, it’s a pretty straightforward concept that has stripped political power from Black and Brown communities for decades.
Before the law was adopted, if a person happened to be incarcerated during the once-in-a-decade census they were counted at the prison, not in their home community.
Predominantly white, rural areas with prison facilities were being overrepresented in government by stealing representation from the predominantly urban, Black and Brown communities where incarcerated individuals are overwhelmingly from.
This not only inflates the voting power of a select few, but it also further disenfranchises the 28,976 people currently being held in prison by having representatives who are not necessarily working for their best interests.
The new law fixes systemic injustices by requiring incarcerated individuals to be counted as a part of their home communities for the census and remap instead of towns that are over 100 miles from Chicago, such as Danville, Statesville and Dixon.
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While passing the law was a great move forward, there is much to be done to make sure the state fully restores representation for our incarcerated neighbors and the communities they call home.
Since the law was signed in 2021, CHANGE Illinois has been working to hold the Illinois Department of Corrections accountable for their role in implementing it. That state agency is solely responsible for collecting and documenting addresses for our incarcerated neighbors.
But we know we cannot rely on prison officials to inform people of their right to be fully represented. Representation cannot be restored without up-to-date home addresses.
With the law officially in place now, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that IDOC complies with their charge and people affected by prison gerrymandering are aware of the right to be counted in their home community.
We need to continue to apply pressure to make sure that prison officials make the process easy and accessible for our incarcerated neighbors to have meaningful representation in their government. We must also do our part to inform our incarcerated neighbors and their friends and family of their rights being restored.
Incarceration strips a lot of rights away from people. By counting incarcerated individuals in their communities, those communities can have representation from elected officials who are accountable to them rather than those representing districts downstate.
Emily Soriano, advocacy manager for CHANGE Illinois
House shortage can be addressed this month
Illinois’ housing shortage is making life more expensive and difficult for people across the state. This scarcity has made it harder for couples to start families, for college graduates to begin their careers and for working class households to stay near jobs due to rapidly rising rents and property taxes.
The damage of competing for housing makes the problem impossible to ignore.
Gov. JB Pritzker recognized the urgency of addressing housing scarcity in an executive order this past December, which launched a statewide effort to find solutions and implored the legislature to make necessary changes to state law.
This year, groups throughout the state have worked with legislators on housing bills. Here’s why the two most critical bills, House Bill 1813 and House Bill 1814, must make it out of the House, through the Senate and to the governor’s desk.
HB 1813 would allow homeowners everywhere in Illinois to build accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, coach houses or granny flats. Older ADUs are common in communities throughout Illinois, but most municipalities prohibit the construction of new ADUs. This legislation would provide opportunities for families to generate rental income and for seniors a comfortable way to age in place.
The other bill, HB1814, would allow two-flats to be built in cities over 10,000 people and up to four-flats in cities over 25,000 people. Similar to ADUs, restrictive local laws make buildings like Chicago's beloved two-, three- and four-flats impossible to build new on the vast majority of residential lots.
These restrictions on home choice are especially challenging for families, as the homes they prohibit are the most likely to have lower rents and 2+ bedroom units. It’s past time to re-legalize ADU’s and two- to four-flats throughout the state
The Illinois Homes for All Coalition, which includes Housing Action Illinois, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance and Illinois Housing Council, needs help to get these bills to the governor’s desk.
The deadline for the third and final House reading is May 31. Please call or email your state representative and request a third reading for these bills, so Illinois can bring back family-friendly housing choices that help cities in every part of the state create strong foundations for community.
Chloe Groome, lead, Strong Town Chicago, and David Alvarado, and Drake Warren, volunteers, Abundant Housing Illinois