This testimony was submitted as written testimony for a hearing of the Illinois Senate Executive Committee on April 19, 2023. The bill was moved favorably out of the committee on a vote of 8–2.
April 19, 2023
Illinois Senate Executive Committee
To: Chair Cristina Castro and committee members
From: Madeleine Doubek, Executive Director, CHANGE Illinois Action Fund
Thank you, Chair Cristina Castro and members of the Senate Executive Committee, for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today about the significance of ensuring correct implementation of the Illinois prison gerrymandering ban. My name is Madeleine Doubek and I am the executive director of CHANGE Illinois and the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund. Both are nonpartisan nonprofits. The organizations represent a coalition, and alongside our diverse partners, we have advocated in favor of improved ethics laws, independent redistricting processes and for ending the practice of prison gerrymandering in Illinois.
With the passage of the No Representation Without Population Act in 2021, Illinois lawmakers prohibited prison gerrymandering for state senate and representative districts in order to stop counting people in the census where they are temporarily incarcerated rather than at their home addresses for the 2031 redistricting cycle. By enacting that unprecedented law, Illinois committed to restoring proper representation for those people who are temporarily behind bars and joined the growing list of states doing so.
The bill before you today, H.B. 1496, is a follow-up piece of legislation designed to improve the chances of successfully implementing the No Representation Without Population Act. The Illinois Department of Corrections is responsible for establishing and maintaining a record of every person residing in its institutions, according to the law as it stands. IDOC is required to deliver a list of addresses of those people to the Illinois State Board of Elections, which will then make the data accessible and usable for state remapping in 2031.
However, it became evident that only a minimal quantity of address data is available in usable format for this purpose during multiple conversations with senior IDOC officials. We all have a stake in ensuring that the data is gathered in order to successfully provide incarcerated people with their proper representation.
In order to address this complication and boost the chances of successfully ending prison gerrymandering, the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund collaborated with Representative La Shawn Ford and Senator Robert Peters to introduce H.B. 1496, which would make sure that any last-known addresses gathered locally are sent to IDOC. The legislation also would expand the types of addresses permitted from last-known and legal residents, to include addresses gathered for post-release programs. During the course of our work developing this plan, we met with senior Illinois Department of Corrections officials, a representative from the county courts, and the Illinois Secretary of State’s office and no concerns or objections were raised.
The law we’re discussing today will enable community organizations to continue collaborating with local and state authorities to make sure that everyone in Illinois is represented fairly in their communities. Fostering a feeling of community and belonging for those who are incarcerated and their loved ones, will give them and residents of historically underserved neighborhoods fresh hope.
We commend our state lawmakers for putting an end to the prejudicial practice known as prison gerrymandering. We welcome your support and cooperation to make sure this change is effectively carried out so that people who are incarcerated for a few years don’t lose their representation to a prison facility for an entire decade. CHANGE Illinois and our partners are dedicated to making sure the prohibition on prison gerrymandering is successfully implemented by 2031.
Once again, I appreciate the chance to discuss this with you today and I ask for your favorable vote for H.B. 1496, so we can continue the work to ensure that all Illinois residents are properly counted and represented in their home communities.