SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Senate Republican leader proposed a legislative package designed to allow voters to have a more active role. 

Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) unveiled the Voter Empowerment Project. The legislative package of constitutional amendments is designed to allow Illinois voters a more active role in their democratic process. 

“For too long in this state, Illinoisans haven’t had a voice in their state government,” said McConchie. “Legislative leaders have consistently marginalized the voices and opinions of the people of Illinois, cutting them out of the legislative process as important decisions continued to be made behind closed doors without public input. That’s why I am renewing Senate Republican calls to give the people back their voice through our Voter Empowerment Project.”

The package includes four Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendments. SJRCA 13 will require an independent redistricting commission. McConchie proposed the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and the most senior supreme court court justice of the opposite part would jointly select 17 commissioners to serve on the commission. 

The commission would be comprised of seven individuals representing the Democratic Party, seven individuals representing the Republican Party and the three independent commissioners. 

McConchie said the first redistricting process would occur in 2023 and then after every subsequent federal decennial census. 

SJRCA 14 would allow Illinois voters to make more substantive changes to their constitution. McConchie explained the Illinois Constitution currently limits citizen-imitative amendments to specified structural and procedural subjects. The amendment would allow voters to circulate petitions for and vote on many key issues such as taxation, redistricting and other constitutional provisions. 

"Right now it's really constrained on what the voter can go to referendum to do," McConchie said. "This would make us on par with many of our other peer states in allowing people to have a greater voice to be able to amend the constitution on the kind of citizen initiated amendments that people are saying they want to be able to do." 

SJRCA 15 will give citizens the opportunity to veto unpopular legislation. McConchie said the amendment would allow voters a form of popular redress to political overreach and unwanted mandates. 

Finally, SJRCA 16 would allow voters the opportunity to recall elected officials, including any executive branch officer, the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, the auditor general, members of the General Assembly and local government officials. Currently, only the governor is subject to recall. 

"This would empower citizens at all levels of government to hold elected officials accountable and help end corruption in our state," McConchie said. 

McConchie said the package is a copy a what has worked in the state and other states.