There's still time for Gov. Pat Quinn to act on his conscience.

Gov. Pat Quinn says so many different things on so many different occasions that most people have learned to discount his words and follow only his deeds.

Still, he is the governor, and what he says should mean something.

Here's what he said not too long ago about the action he would take if state legislators presented him new state legislative and congressional district maps that were gerrymandered in favor of one political party and against the people.

"I just think the best way to have redistricting is to set up competitive districts that are not gerrymandered to make sure the people have the best representatives. Too often this is an exercise of protecting incumbents of both parties. I don't think that's healthy. I've always felt that redistricting has been way too political in our state, by both parties. So if I'm governor, I'm going to try and be the person who makes sure we do it right for the people and not for the politicians."

Quinn's comments are right on point. Unfortunately, he ignored his own indisputable wisdom recently when he signed legislation implementing the Democratic Party gerrymander of state legislative districts in Illinois. The map effectively guarantees Democratic majority control of the state House and Senate for the next 10 years, just like it the last 10 years.

Weep not for the minority Republicans. They'd have done the same thing to the Democrats if they controlled the Legislature and the governor's office. But you can shed a few tears for voters who would appreciate having a choice of viable House and Senate candidates in the 2012 election and beyond.

The state legislative map, however, is old news, barring some kind of miraculous legal intervention.

But the gerrymandered congressional map that Democratic state legislative leaders have passed is not.

SB 1178, the bill codifying Illinois' House Speaker Michael Madigan's gerrymander of the state's 18 congressional districts, is on Quinn's desk awaiting action. If Quinn's words meant anything, he would veto it in a heartbeat. But don't hold your breath on that.

Nonetheless, a political reform group called CHANGE Illinois is asking Quinn to step back from any quick decision and "convene public hearings around the state to listen to what the public has to say about the proposed congressional district lines."

"General Assembly leaders did not release a draft of the congressional map until late in May, held perfunctory hearings in Springfield when most Illinoisans were observing the Memorial Day holiday and then pushed through an amended version of that map. Because of the lack of transparency and the absence of any sincere effort to involve the voters who will live with the district lines for the next 10 years, the General Assembly has once again embraced a map-drawing process that places political power ahead of people power," the CHANGE organization's leaders wrote in a recent letter to Quinn.

The new Illinois congressional map is so skewed toward Democrats that it's drawn nationwide attention. Because Republicans picked up four Democratic seats in the 2010 election and now hold an 11-8 margin in the Illinois congressional delegation, political handicappers have predicted that Democrats could pick up as many as six Republican seats under the new gerrymandered format.

Democrat vs. Republican is, of course, irrelevant. But the voters' interests are not.

Since Quinn obviously knows that, he ought to act on his words and veto the congressional reapportionment bill. At the least, he should follow CHANGE Illinois' recommendation and slow the process down long enough to hear what members of the public have to say about it.