State Rep. Weaver on Illinois redistricting proposal: ‘I can think of no greater threat to democracy than politicians picking the people they choose to represent’

Illinois State Representative Travis Robert Weaver said proposed changes to legislative redistricting criteria pose a threat to democratic representation. 

The statement was issued in response to the Illinois House’s passage of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28, which cleared the chamber on a partisan vote and now advances to the Senate for possible placement on the November ballot, according to the Illinois General Assembly. The resolution proposes updated ranked criteria for drawing state legislative districts in light of possible federal Voting Rights Act adjustments.

Central Illinois lawmakers, including Weaver from the 93rd District, have highlighted ongoing issues with current district standards for equal population and opportunity, according to the Illinois House of Representatives.

“House Democrats have doubled down on the criteria they want to use to further gerrymander legislative maps. This proposed constitutional amendment would further disenfranchise voters in our state while strengthening Democrats’ corruption and power. I can think of no greater threat to democracy than politicians picking the people they choose to represent,” Weaver said on Facebook.

According to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, Illinois legislative redistricting after the 2020 census received an F grade for partisan fairness due to a Democratic advantage. The state lost one congressional seat because of population shifts, yet the process protected the majority party’s control in both chambers. Similar debates over map-drawing standards occur in multiple states following each decennial census.

Weaver was born and raised in Central Illinois, where he graduated from Dunlap High School. He earned a BA in finance and marketing from the University of Alabama and an MBA from Northwestern University. He worked in finance and strategy roles at Caterpillar, including as the company’s youngest strategy manager. Weaver also serves as a business professor at Bradley University and resides in Peoria with his wife, MacKinsey, according to his official biography. Weaver, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 93rd House District, replacing previous state representative Norine Hammond.