Why are districts changing?
Every 10 years, the US government conducts a census to get a sense of where and how many people are living in the United States. The government then uses the census data to draw new legislative districts based on population changes.
While the federal government conducts the census, the states decide how the new boundaries are actually drawn. Some states have independent commissions in charge of this process, and some states like Illinois have the legislatures control it instead.
At the federal level, Illinois has one fewer seat in the House of Representatives (due to population decline in the state), so the state will be split into 17 rather than 18 congressional districts. At the state level, Illinois will be split up into the same number of House and Senate districts as before, but their boundaries will look different – meaning that you may not live in the same district as before.
What does this mean for the next election?
You will vote for representatives in the new districts in the 2022 elections, and they will be officially sworn in in early 2023.
This means that if you’ve had the same representatives for years, that may be changing! You may be in a different district than before. Even if you’re in the same district, your representative may now live in a different district.