Two candidates from Madison County filed to run for state offices in the Nov. 8 election even though they do not live within the new boundaries of the districts they wanted to represent.
But since this is the first election after the state’s redistricting process, the two candidates — state Rep. Amy Elik, a Republican running in the 111th District, and state Sen. Kris Tharp, a Democrat running in the 56th District — are allowed to stay on the ballot.
Elik was elected to represent the 111th District in 2020. But since then, its borders have been redrawn in the redistricting process controlled by Illinois Democrats and Elik’s home now falls in the 100th District.
Elik said Democrats unfairly used their “power to gerrymander” her home in northern Madison County out of the district as part of an effort during redistricting to help Democratic candidates. So she’s running for re-election in the 111th District against Democrat Joe Silkwood.
Silkwood, who is from East Alton, said he would not have run for a seat if he didn’t live in the district, but acknowledged Elik’s legal right in this election.
The new borders don’t take effect until the General Assembly convenes in January and state law allows for residency exemptions after redistricting.
But if she retains her seat, Elik would have to move into the newly drawn 111th District by April if she wants to run in the November 2024 election. Elik said she plans to move into the new borders of the district.
Candidates have to establish residency in their district at least 18 months before an election, according to a candidate guide produced by the Illinois State Board of Elections, which based its guidelines on the Illinois Constitution.
Redistricting is conducted every 10 years after a census to ensure that each legislative district has a similar number of people. The process is often criticized for giving the party in power the chance to draw the borders in a way that favors their candidates.
Elik said she was not given a chance to keep her home in the 111th District.
“The Democrats did this all behind closed doors … in a private room in the Stratton office building,” Elik said. “They did not ask any Republicans for any input whatsoever.”
Silkwood wrote in a response in a Belleville News-Democrat questionnaire that he is the “only candidate in this race that lives in the 111th” District. But Elik does live in the current 111th District, at least until January.
“I just think that being disingenuous with voters is not a thing voters appreciate very much when you’re talking about residency requirements knowing that I’m following every single requirement and willing and committed to the people of the 111th,” Elik said.
Silkwood said he wasn’t present when the new maps were drawn.
“I don’t know if she spoke up and tried to affect that drawing of the map,” he said. “It’s just another example of how ineffective she is. She can’t even keep herself in a district that she was in so I think that speaks volumes to how strong of a representative she is.”
Areas in the new 111th District include Alton, Godfrey, Wood River and Glen Carbon.
The new borders of the 111th cut out areas northwest of Alton and north and east of Bethalto that previously had been in the district. The Glen Carbon area previously was not in the district but it was added.
You can see the maps in an interactive, online report compiled by the University of Illinois at this site: https://iecam.illinois.edu/data-descriptions/geographic-regions-state-house-and-senate-districts. This site allows you to type in a street address to see which district the address includes.
State Senate 56th District borders
When Tharp was appointed to take the state senate seat in the 56th District in July, his Bethalto home was in the district.
But when the new borders take effect in January, his current home will be in the 50th District. The home missed the 56th District by less than a block or, as Tharp says, about 100 yards.
Still, Tharp is running in the 56th District against Republican Erica Conway Harriss of Glen Carbon.
Tharp said he has already sold his Bethalto home and will soon close on a home in Wood River within the new boundaries of the 56th District.
“I’m committed to serving the citizens of the 56th and that means that I need to live there, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.
Harriss said in an email to the News-Democrat that “Chicago politicians rushed to appoint my opponent in a backroom deal without caring where he lived, because they knew he would be a vote for … their extreme agenda.”
Tharp was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Rachelle Aud Crowe, who was appointed to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
Judges on the move
Elik and Tharp aren’t the only candidates dealing with residency issues.
Judges Amy Sholar and Christopher Threlkeld, both Madison County Republicans, had to move earlier this year if they wanted to run in the Nov. 8 election since Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law creating “subcircuits” in the 3rd Judicial Circuit, which covers Madison and Bond counties.
Opponents of the law say says it’s more gerrymandering, while supporters say the subcircuits are designed to give all areas of the circuit representation.
Ebony Huddleston is the Democratic candidate facing Sholar while John Barry Julian is the Democratic candidate facing Threlkeld.
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 6:00 AM.
