Electoral reform in Illinois
Encyclopedia
Electoral reform in
Illinois
refers to efforts, proposals and plans to change the election and voting laws in the Prairie State.
was used in the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1870-1980. This system elected three representatives from a district and gave each voter three votes, which could be given to candidates in any combination (3 votes for 1 candidate, 1 vote each for 3 candidates, etc.) This led to unusual combinations, such as Chicago Republicans and suburban Democrats, being elected. Some reformers favor reinstating this system.
, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
struck down Illinois' ballot access
laws, opining, "In combination, the ballot access requirements for independent legislative candidates in Illinois--the early filing deadline, the 10% signature requirement, and the additional statutory restriction that disqualifies anyone who signs an independent candidate's nominating petition from voting in the primary--operate to unconstitutionally burden the freedom of political association guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Ballot access barriers this high--they are the most restrictive in the nation and have effectively eliminated independent legislative candidacies from the Illinois political scene for a quarter of a century--are not sustainable based on the state's asserted interest in deterring party splintering, factionalism, and frivolous candidacies".
passed bills enacting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
, which would award the state's 21 electoral votes to the candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. On April 7th, former Governor Rod Blagojevich
signed the bill, making Illinois the third state to do so.
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
refers to efforts, proposals and plans to change the election and voting laws in the Prairie State.
Alternate voting methods
Cumulative votingCumulative voting
Cumulative voting is a multiple-winner voting system intended to promote more proportional representation than winner-take-all elections.- History :...
was used in the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from 1870-1980. This system elected three representatives from a district and gave each voter three votes, which could be given to candidates in any combination (3 votes for 1 candidate, 1 vote each for 3 candidates, etc.) This led to unusual combinations, such as Chicago Republicans and suburban Democrats, being elected. Some reformers favor reinstating this system.
Ballot access
In Lee v. KeithLee v. Keith
Lee v. Keith, 463 F. 3d 763 was a case in which, on September 18, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit struck down Illinois' ballot access laws, opining:...
, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
struck down Illinois' ballot access
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
laws, opining, "In combination, the ballot access requirements for independent legislative candidates in Illinois--the early filing deadline, the 10% signature requirement, and the additional statutory restriction that disqualifies anyone who signs an independent candidate's nominating petition from voting in the primary--operate to unconstitutionally burden the freedom of political association guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Ballot access barriers this high--they are the most restrictive in the nation and have effectively eliminated independent legislative candidacies from the Illinois political scene for a quarter of a century--are not sustainable based on the state's asserted interest in deterring party splintering, factionalism, and frivolous candidacies".
Allocation of electoral votes
In 2007, both houses of the Illinois General AssemblyIllinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
passed bills enacting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among U.S. states designed to replace current state rules governing the electoral college system of presidential elections with rules guaranteeing election of the national popular vote winner...
, which would award the state's 21 electoral votes to the candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. On April 7th, former Governor Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
signed the bill, making Illinois the third state to do so.