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UChicago’s Weekly Civics Briefing
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Redistricting in Illinois
For the past few issues, the Illinois team has been outlining the bicameral legislature of the state. So, we thought it would be prudent to provide a guide on the state legislative lines as well. The Illinois General Assembly is responsible for drawing the fifty-nine Senate and 118 House district lines once a decade, and if the House and Senate cannot reach a decision, the choice goes to eight top officials from the two chambers (four from each). If these eight commissioners cannot agree on a plan, the Secretary of State randomly chooses a political party to break the tie. Interestingly, in 2001, it was picked out of a replica of Abraham Lincoln’s top hat. In order to receive public input, the redistricting committees are required to hold at least one public hearing in four different regions of the state, and the U.S. Constitution mandates that all state legislative districts be relatively equal in population. Additionally, under the Illinois Voting Act of 2011, the body must create districts that allow minorities to elect candidates of their choice.
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FEDERAL NEWS
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Trump Moves to Remove the U.S from Open Skies Treaty
On Thursday, President Trump announced that he plans to pull the United States from the “Open Skies Treaty,” which allows nations to fly over one another’s territory in order to conduct reconnaissance and ensure that such nations are not preparing for military action. The treaty was negotiated three decades ago to limit the chances of accidental war. Many American officials have noted that Moscow has violated the terms of the treaty by blocking certain flight paths over areas where key military operations are carried out, prompting concern that Russia is gathering information about America’s infrastructure. This move is aligned with Trump’s previous statements threatening to not renew New START, the last nonproliferation treaty between the United States and Russia unless China joins. Currently, the treaty limits the two countries’ nuclear arsenal to 1,550 missiles. President Trump acknowledged a possibility of reconsidering the move.
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Walking the Walk
On Monday, Donald Trump announced that he had been taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCL) for over a week to prevent contracting COVID-19, sparking a media firestorm. A White House physician prescribed it per his request. On Wednesday, he announced he would stop taking the untested drug in two days. The president’s promotion of the drug has led to pushback from the medical and research communities, citing the limited supply of a drug critical for treating lupus and malaria (among other conditions). Research thus far has not shown a benefit to taking HCL.
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STATE NEWS
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Illinois Testing Rates Climb
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the state reached a crucial milestone in testing for COVID-19 on Tuesday— the state now has the highest per capita testing rate among the most populous states in the country. Illinois overtook New York with 1,813 tests per million residents (the Empire State reports 1,725 tests per million). The announcement comes at a crucial time seeing that the state will move to its third of five phases to reopen. The announcement is intended to reassure eager Illinoisans that a return to some form of social and economic normalcy is possible, given the public desire for testing in order to do so.
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A Guide to the Illinois State Senate
The Illinois State Senate constitutes the upper chamber of the Illinois legislature with fifty-nine seats, twenty of which are up for election this fall. To ensure that the legislature reflects the population after redistricting, the senate is split into three groups. Each group rotates through the timings of serving a two-year term versus a four-year term in between censuses. To be eligible to serve, members must be at least twenty-one years of age and a U.S. citizen. They must also be a resident of the district they wish to serve for at least two years. The Senate currently has twenty-eight standing committees, including Education, Human Services, Labor, and Public Health. Notably, Barack Obama represented Illinois’ thirteenth district in the State Senate from 1997 to 2004.
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COVID-19 Gun Sales
Since the start of lockdown in mid-March, gun sales nationwide have increased, and Illinois is no exception to this trend. Most purchases have been from first time gun buyers, handguns being the most popular option. Individuals have cited their safety concerns due to the COVID-19 panic as the reason for their purchase. Some officials are concerned that people lack the adequate training to properly handle their firearms. With this increase in gun sales, background checks in the state have correspondingly risen 60% from last year. The Illinois Senate Committee has yet to have a hearing over Senate Bill 1966, which would add restrictions to firearm transfers and increasing fees for Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) applicants.
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CHICAGO NEWS
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A Retrospective on Lightfoot’s First Year as Mayor of Chicago
This past Wednesday, May 20th, marked Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first year in office. Where her candidacy and beginning of her term were marked by her commitment to progressive issues and addressing corruption in city government, the coronavirus pandemic appears increasingly likely to define her four-year term. Her first 365 days as mayor have been tumultuous. On her first day in office, Lightfoot passed an executive order to limit aldermanic prerogative, which has historically allowed aldermen to veto citywide policies within their own wards; some aldermen defended the convention on the grounds that they know their wards best, though opponents believe the convention has historically bred corruption in City Hall. In October, Lightfoot dealt with the longest strike in decades of Chicago Public School teachers. And, her December high-profile firing of Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson for a “series of ethical lapses” led to the appointment of a new superintendent in April. Many have praised Lightfoot for her efforts to improve accountability in the city, but her administration has received some criticism for not fulfilling progressive campaign promises, such as her promise to increase real estate transfer taxes for anti-homelessness initiatives.
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Boating Season May Set Sail
When Governor Pritzker announced his “stay-at-home” order mid-March, it resulted in the shutdown of Chicago Park Districts, including the Chicago Harbors. However, on May 16th it was announced that although the docks, ramps, and lots will continue to be closed to boaters through the end of May, Chicago Harbors received permission to launch winter storage boats from boatyards beginning May 21st. Since May 4th, selected boatyards, including those at Montrose and 31st Street, have been acting as temporary storage sites for boat owners. To learn more about transition boating policies click here. Going forward, Chicago’s 2020 boating season will be extended to November 15.
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ELECTION 2020
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Will the RNC and DNC Go Virtual Amidst a Pandemic?
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is currently scheduled for Aug 24-27 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Publicly, the GOP is still planning a full-scale convention as scheduled, according to RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel. However, White House and Republican officials are quietly looking to scale back the convention: they are considering limiting attendees to only delegates, despite sending out official invitations to donors. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is scheduled for August 17-20 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. DNC Chair Tom Perez favors an in-person event, but Democrats have also discussed paring down attendees and holding a virtual convention. On May 12, the DNC unanimously voted to allow for changes in the convention format, giving delegates the option to participate virtually. Neither party has officially cancelled their convention yet.
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Biden Leads Over Trump in General Election
According to the most recent national polls, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is in the lead against President Donald Trump. According to national polls, Biden has an average 5.3 point lead over Trump. While the Democratic nominee may have the lead in the national polls, it is important to look at the early polls in crucial states that were carried by Obama in 2012, and then flipped by Trump in 2016. According to crucial, early polls in Michigan, Florida, and Pennsylvania, Biden leads in these swing states by a narrow margin. With six months away from the election, these polls show that Biden is projected to win.
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