logo

Illinois Libertarian Party to Appear on Ballot; Other Third Parties, Term Limits Rejected

image
Created: 25 August, 2014
Updated: 15 October, 2022
2 min read

Recently, the Illinois State Board of Elections issued important rulings concerning third-party ballot access and electoral reform in the November elections.

For Illinois, a state already synonymous with political corruption, the decisions represent setbacks for both the option of additional choices on the ballot and a means for limiting legislators' terms.

The Illinois Libertarian Party survived and will appear on the ballot, but the Constitution Party, Green Party, and the

term limit initiative associated with GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner did not.

"Non-established parties," those that earned less than 5 percent in the preceding election cycle, must collect at least 25,000 valid signatures to have a chance to appear on the November ballot. By contrast, the Republican and Democratic parties only need to submit 5,000 signatures.

In 2006, the Green Party garnered over 10 percent in the gubernatorial race, but fell to around 3 percent in 2010 and had only about 22,000 valid signatures. A lawyer for the Green Party said, "The whole system needs to be revised."

The Constitution Party (CP) of Illinois, which faced similar setbacks in 2010, is off the November ballot for the second cycle in a row.

Party Chairman Randall Stufflebeam, who was also the CP gubernatorial candidate in 2006, expressed his outrage:

"The Republican Party has once again successfully ensured that real conservatives will not be on the November ballot to compete in the General Election this year (as they did in 2010). Illinois voters should be incensed by this constant unconstitutional elimination of competition."

The statement went on to argue that according to the state constitution:

"Article 3, Section 3 - ELECTIONS states: 'All elections shall be free and equal.' Further, Article 3, Section 4 of the Illinois State Constitution - ELECTION LAWS - states: 'Laws governing voter registration and conduct of elections shall be general and uniform.'"

On the other hand, the Libertarian Party and gubernatorial candidate Chad Grimm were allowed ballot access and will be the only alternative on the ballot against Democratic Governor Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner.

More Choice for San Diego

In the Chicago Tribune, veteran political reporter Rick Pearson wrote about how the board's decisions may impact the gubernatorial race:

"In a close race, those decisions could help Quinn, who as a Democrat was more likely to lose votes to a Green Party candidate, and hurt Rauner, who as a Republican is more likely to lose votes to a Libertarian candidate."

Also defeated was a term limit referendum supported by Rauner. The GOP choice for governor expressed defiance at the ruling, but suggested that he had optimism for ultimate success in November, saying, "The Springfield career politicians won today, and the people of Illinois lost. But the people will have the final say."

Photo Credit: Vepar5 / shutterstock.com

Latest articles

dark money
Maine Question 1: Kyle Bailey Discusses Effort to Rein in Super PACs
Kyle Bailey is a former Maine state representative who managed the landmark ballot measure campaigns to win and protect ranked choice voting....
29 October, 2024
-
5 min read
america
The Power of No: Why Most Vote Against Candidates Rather than For Them
Negative voting - where voters cast ballots in opposition of a candidate rather than for one - has almost doubled in the last 20 years....
29 October, 2024
ballot enclosed
Despite Inevitable Calls for Election Recounts, Research Shows They Rarely Change the Outcome
One thing that voters can inevitably count on after Election Night 2024 is that regardless of who wins, there will be calls in key battleground states for recounts....
28 October, 2024
-
4 min read