The Sangamon County Board Office unveiled proposed new county board districts at a public hearing on Monday night. The new map is highlighted with the creation of a third majority-minority district that would allow for the election of the board’s third African American member. The Board currently has two African American members. Since August, the County has held four public hearings for interested citizens and community organizations to provide input to the board, with two more opportunities for public input remaining before final approval.
Reapportionment is required by state law every ten years following the U.S. Census to ensure that each County Board district represents a substantially equal number of people over a ten-year period. The County Board previously decided to delay the reapportionment process until the 2020 Census Data was made available in early September. In addition to population requirements, the Elections Oversight Committee approved the following reapportionment principles to guide the drafting of the map:
- The new map should maximize the number of majority-minority county board districts.
- Districts should be as compact and contiguous as practical.
- Districts should avoid splitting existing jurisdictions ( city, village, township, precinct boundaries) as much as possible.
- Districts should avoid splitting communities of interest as much as possible.
- Districts with a history of population loss should be larger in population to anticipate and accommodate future population losses.
- Districts with a history of population gain should be smaller in population to anticipate and accommodate future population gains.
The proposed map complies with federal and state laws and the additional guidelines set by the committee. With the creation of a third majority-minority district, the proposed map reflects the diversity of Sangamon County and protects existing minority representation and creates the opportunity for additional minority representation.
Members of the public may provide feedback by email to county@sangamonil.gov or address the County Board on Tuesday, November 9th at the Elections Oversight Committee meeting at 4:30 pm or the County Board meeting at 7:00 pm. Interested members of the public and community organizations are encouraged but not required to register in advance by completing the form on the county website.
Pending a vote by Elections Oversight Committee, the County Board will consider the new county board district boundaries at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00 pm.
The proposed map can be viewed online here: