The Chicago Tribune has called Illinois gerrymandering "a legalized protection racket."

The Chicago Sun-Times has said, "Our state's politicized system often leads to illogical, gerrymandered congressional and state legislative districts that all but guarantee re-election for many incumbents, discourage competition and further voter apathy."

The Springfield State Journal-Register has called Illinois' system for redrawing legislative and congressional districts absurd and declared that three principles are central to reform:

• Politicians should not draw the lines;
• Those who do draw the lines should not take incumbents' residence into consideration; and
• The voting history of those who live in a district cannot be factored in.

The Daily Herald declared "If our legislators truly are committed to cleansing Illinois of its gamy reputation, they will push for a new mapping process now."

In August, the Decatur Herald and Review called the system "dysfunctional" and urged citizens to take up the issue themselves "if the General Assembly doesn't act responsibly." In October, they followed up with another editorial raising doubts about the sincerity of Illinois Democrats to reform the process.

The Bloomington Pantagraph declared that without Gerrymandering reform "your chance to select who will represent you in Springfield and Washington will be all but decided behind closed doors or by a flip of a coin."

The Peoria Journal Star declared that if they could pick just one reform "to address political incompetence and corruption in Illinois" they would pick "changing the way Illinois draws its state legislative and federal congressional boundaries..."

The Carbondale Southern Illinoisan has said "we will continue to get the officials we deserve unless voters demand a better way of mapping state political boundaries."

The Mattoon Journal Gazette/Charleston Times Courier declared "...we all get a chuckle of the way we do political things here in Illinois. But it's not the right way."

The Sauk Valley News declared "If Illinois residents expect to rescue their state from the ingrained culture of political corruption that made it a laughingstock, they must reform the way that lawmakers are chosen."

The Alton Telegraph said the redistricting process "needs a thorough rethinking."

Mike Lawrence, the respected former director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, has called the system "Illinois Roulette."

Illinois Reform Commission member Brad McMillan has been one of the most outspoken critics of Illinois' system of gerrymandering districts. Shortly before the Commission released its report, McMillan gave a preview, criticizing the process that currently occurs "in total secrecy behind closed doors conducted by political operatives."

McMillan, the Executive Director of the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service at Bradley University in Peoria, and many others have used the 17th Congressional District in Illinois (shown above) as a poster child for redistricting abuse in Illinois.

Others are speaking out as well. Noted columnist and television journalist Carol Marin has written that it is "time to reform redistricting so we never again see only a pitiful 15 competitive legislative races because all the rest are a solid lock for incumbents."

The outrage over gerrymandering in Illinois is starting to be reflected in public opinion surveys. An Oct. 2009 survey by the Paul SImon Public Policy Institute shows strong public support for major political and ethical reforms in Illinois, including gerrymandering reform.

More than 71% of respondents disapprove of the current Illinois system for drawing legislative districts, with nearly 28% expressing strong disapproval. Turning the process over to a neutral party had the support of nearly 73% of respondents.