Quinn To Sign Bill To Protect Minority Districts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. Pat Quinn is set to sign legislation Monday to protect minority communities come election time.
The measure calls for statewide hearings before legislative district boundaries can be redrawn. It also requires lawmakers to draw districts with an eye on keeping communities linked by race or language from being split up into multiple districts.
Quinn will sign the bill in Chinatown, where residents have long complained that their area is split up among several districts, watering down their voting power and keeping them from electing Asian-Americans.
Currently, Chinatown is divided among four state House districts and three Senate districts.
Quinn is set to sign the legislation at 1:30 p.m. the Chinese American Service League in Chinatown Square, 2141 S. Tan Ct.
Districts are set to be withdrawn in the spring based on 2010 Census results.
