Companion bills to restore the Illinois primary to the third Tuesday in March, i.e., somewhere between March 15 and March 21 depending on the calendar, rather than the first Tuesday in February, have advanced in both the Illinois House and Senate. Sen. Deanna Demuzio's SB 355 passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 25 and Rep. Elaine Nekritz's HB 4964 cleared the ethics and reform committee on a 9-0 vote and is calendered for third reading after short debate. Each bill also contains text adjusting back to February the time after which a legislator may not publish a newsletter, i.e., state-funded printing and mailing that obviously helps an incumbent.
The news accounts linked to above indicate that at least some legislators would prefer a primary even later than March, and that Demuzio would be "open" to it. Would have been nice if the bills were crafted that way.
Under the pending legislation, the 2012 primary would be held on Tuesday, March 20, three days after a Saturday St. Patrick's Day. While Feb. 2 was a rotten date, I have no nostalgia for mid-March either; that still puts the big petition drive, filing, and any ballot challenge between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and means that there are mounds of frozen slush to clamber over for most of the door-to-door and goin'-to-meetin' season.
David Orr, who has to fund any overtime incurred during the filing/challenge season, has argued that there are higher costs associated with a winter primary (March 15-21 is still winter) and suggested May, June, or August. Sen. John Jones was quoted as saying all of his county clerks agree. The IVI-IPO supports a May or June primary; I've long felt mid-to-late May makes the most sense. You lose folks after Memorial Day and as schools start to let out. Pat Quinn last year suggested a primary as late as September, as seen in some other states.
The primary date is not an issue that stirs most souls but, like gerrymandering, it is one of those many small things that adds up to big advantages for the existing power structure, which is stacked against the average citizen. Perhaps some brave rep will introduce a floor amendment, before this bill becomes law, changing the date to the third Tuesday in May. We could at least get on record who does or does not support that.
So, I voted this morning. Turnout was not especially high in my precinct, despite the predictions of turnout exceeding the historic high of 58% on the news this morning.
At about 7:15 am, I was voter number 35, which is higher than the last (runoff) election, and a little higher than the general muni elections, and about the same as last November's election.
There were, I think, 4 other people voting when I inserted my ballot into the machine, and there was one person getting his ballot, and another couple came in as I left. So, that would put things at 42 just after I left.
One complaint, they had different poll workers this time around. There was a younger white guy who seemed a little too eager to help a couple of people load their ballots into the machine. He was young, so it may be inexperience, and I didn't notice anything truly suspicious beyond his general exuberance.
Ok, so two complaints, and this is the bigger one. They reconfigured the setup of the voting booths. They were MUCH less private than in the past. They had 5 booths set up in the middle of the room, with the opening set to the outside. In the past, they lined up all five by the wall, with the opening facing the wall. Someone could easily look over your shoulder and see how you're voting.
Alright, one final complaint. They didn't have the ballot protection slips (the folders you put your ballot in when you finish voting and are walking over to the machine.
I was canvassing in Chciago's 11th Ward (Northern-most edge of IL-3 Congressional District) as part of Northside DFA's work on behalf of grassroots/netroots candidate Mark Pera today (Saturday). According to my "walk sheet" the house I was approaching had an elderly Democratic voter. As is often the case, this voter no longer lived there. I began to deliver my pitch to the new occupant, but the woman who answered the door stopped me when I talked about electing a Congressman with REAL Democratic values.
She told me she was a Republican because "I want the niggers to have to get up for work every morning just like I do."
