Fact check: What are the most gerrymandered districts in Illinois?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, Illinois has significant gerrymandering issues that affect both congressional and state legislative districts. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave Illinois an F grade for its congressional district maps ^{[1] [2]}, indicating severe partisan manipulation.

Specific gerrymandered districts identified include:

• The 13th Congressional District - described as having "a large, non-compact area that concentrates Democratic-leaning voters" ^[1]
• The 9th Congressional District - specifically mentioned in discussions of gerrymandering issues ^[2]

State legislative maps are equally problematic:

• The state Senate received an F grade from Princeton researchers for giving partisan advantage to Democrats ^[3]
• The state House received a B grade but still lacks sufficient compactness ^[3]

The gerrymandering has resulted in Democrats holding 14 out of 17 congressional seats and created "overrepresentation of Democrats and few competitive legislative districts" ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question focuses only on identifying gerrymandered districts but omits the broader political and reform context surrounding Illinois redistricting:

Active reform efforts are underway:

• Former Obama administration officials and election lawyers are pushing for constitutional amendments to reform the redistricting process ^[3]
• Bipartisan leadership from Bill Daley and Ray LaHood is working toward a 2026 ballot initiative for redistricting reform ^[4]

Different levels of gerrymandering exist:

• While congressional districts receive the most attention, county-level redistricting in the Chicago Metropolitan Area also faces issues with "transparency, public input, racial equity, and compactness" ^[5]

Political hypocrisy allegations:

• Illinois officials face criticism for condemning Texas gerrymandering while maintaining similarly partisan maps, with Republican Chair Kathy Salvi and political scientist Dick Simpson pointing out the double standard ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral and factual in seeking information about gerrymandered districts. However, it lacks important context that could lead to incomplete understanding:

Missing scope clarification: The question doesn't specify whether it's asking about congressional districts, state legislative districts, or local districts, when all three levels have gerrymandering issues in Illinois ^{[1] [3] [5]}.

No temporal context: The question doesn't acknowledge that redistricting reform efforts are actively ongoing ^{[3] [4]}, which could give readers the impression that gerrymandering is a static, unchangeable problem.

Potential Democratic Party benefit: The current gerrymandered maps heavily favor Democratic candidates, giving them significant electoral advantages that party leadership would benefit from maintaining ^{[2] [3] [6]}.