House Democrats go behind locked door to draw new district maps

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Reported by WCIA today:

Our news cameras were rolling as dozens of House Democrats filed in and out of a locked door on the Capitol Complex grounds. Inside, members of House Speaker Chris Welch’s staff showed members one-by-one where the lines of their new districts could be drawn.
“Meeting with members is nothing new,” Welch’s spokeswoman Jaclyn Driscoll said in an emailed statement. “In fact, the room we’re talking to members in is actually the same we met in 10 years ago. This is and will remain a transparent process.”

“It’s just preliminary drafts for each district,” Rep. Nick Smith (D-Chicago) said on his way into the room.

Several other state representatives avoided questions about the meetings or gave evasive answers. Others who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that they were reviewing the early drafts of the House district maps. Some members felt there weren’t many recognizable changes, but pointed out that the lines could still change several times before they’re finalized.

Members of the public have yet to see the data or the district lines. The full U.S. Census data isn’t expected to be released until later this fall after the constitutional deadline for the legislature to send a map to the governor’s desk for approval. >> Here’s the rest of the story by WCIA’s Mark Maxwell.

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