¶ File a racial discrimination claim regarding Macon County, IL's gerry-mandered redistricting | November 2021

Discrimination complaints can be filed with two offices: The Illinois Department of Human Rights, which handles individual cases. And the Civil Rights Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General's office, which handles patterns of discrimination.

Read my article about the redistricting to learn more about this issue.

¶ Extra Information

Elise from the Illinois Civil Rights Bureau returned my call on Tuesday, November 9th at 3:51pm. I had left a voicemail with their office the prior week.

If you're white, you have a right to file a complaint, but the jurisdiction of CRB covers racial discrimination & protections against this gerry mandering are found in the 1965 voting rights act in regard to racial discrimination. All minorities (black, hispanic, middle eastern, etc) are encouraged to file a complaint if you are affected by this redistricting.

I believe our whole community (including white people) is harmed by this redistricting, but it seems there are better laws in place for protecting minorities. If you're white (like me) and this frustrates you, be glad there is SOME kind of protection & be grateful to activists who have fought for voting rights. (Such as Mary Mcleod Bethune).

Per Will Wetzel, former City Council Candidate, this is especially relevant if you live in the old District 2 / new District 1.

¶ File A Complaint | Where & How

You can email filled out forms or send printed forms in the mail. If you are not comfortable with the forms, then call the office and ask for an accomodation.

It may be worth calling in addition to filing forms, too. My call was the first the Civil Rights Bureau had received regarding this matter.

Please file with both offices. If you only have the energy to do one, file with Illinois Dept of Human Rights, as they handle individual cases.

You can use an online service like Pdf Escape to fill out your form if you don't have the right software on your computer. You can look up reviews to make sure services are safe to use.

Civil Rights Bureau of IL Attorney General's Office

Download the Civil Rights Complaint Form from the Civil Rights Bureau web page. Email it or send it via postal mail to an address below

Phone: 1-877-581-3692
Email: civilrights@ilag.gov

Illinois Department of Human Rights

See the IDHR Public Accommodation Complaints page and download the complaint form and send it to them via email or postal mail. I'd probably recommend the Springfield office since that's more local to us.

Springfield Office: 1-217-785-5100
Chicago Office: 1-312-814-6200
Email: idhr.intake@illinois.gov

¶ Local Organizations

• The Macon County Democrats are leading efforts on this issue.
• Members of Central IL DSA have some ties with local Democrats and can likely help you get connected or provide general assistance if you request it & folks are available.