Voting for Change In a One-Party State

[billroper]

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I walked the short distance to my polling place today in suburban Cook County, Illinois, being careful not to step in the goose grease in the playground at the school. There was no line to vote. I was voter 161. They were expecting me, as my wife, daisy_knotwise had gone in a few minutes earlier while I was watching the kids at home.

It was a singularly depressing ballot. I only knew the name of the Republican candidate for Congress, because marsgov had mentioned it on his LJ a few days before. I read the Chicago Tribune daily Monday through Friday and haven't seen this race mentioned once, which should give you an idea of exactly how well gerrymandered my district is. The Republicans didn't even bother to put up a candidate in one of our state races, nor in any of the judicial races save one.

I did, as was my wont, vote to turn out all the judges on the judicial retention ballot.

And I voted for a new Constitutional Convention here in Illinois. Apparently, we elect the representatives to the convention. I've talked with Gretchen about running for the position, unlikely as I'd be to get elected.

But who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Comments

[carolf.livejournal.com]

And I voted for a new Constitutional Convention here in Illinois. Apparently, we elect the representatives to the convention.

You are either braver or less risk-averse than I, sir!

Opening constitutions to change is, for me, serious business and not to be done lightly. It's dangerous enough to do when a single burning issue is to be discussed -- not that I think any opening would not invite other discussions, planned or not. It is truly risky to me to do so just because we haven't done it in a while.

But, I don't live there, anymore, so ... If you are elected as a rep, it will be fascinating to hear your tales. What an adventure!

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Clearly the problem is where you live. We had three Republican judges on our ballot, and no Democrats. We have a Republican congresscritter as well. You just chose poorly staying in Cook County and moving to the Ninth District.

[ericcoleman]

I did, as was my wont, vote to turn out all the judges on the judicial retention ballot.

So, does it frighten you to think that in one way, we vote exactly the same.

[dave-ifversen.livejournal.com]

While here in DuPage County, the Democrats hardly put anybody up - most of the people running were Republican. Fortunately, the County officials do a mostly good job, so it doesn't really matter what party they run in.

The thing that weirded me out, when I first moved to Illinois, was that you didn't need to be a medical doctor to be coroner. I've often toyed with the idea of running for the position, as I think it would be an interesting job, and I probably have more medical experience than most of the people who do run (although my experience is with critters rather than people). From reading the job description, it sounds like a "Gil Grissom" kind of job, directing/managing the forensic pathologists and techs collecting evidence.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I live in a district that's equally gerrymandered, swamping the Democratic cities near where I live with a huge staunchly Republican rural district that covers the whole eastern edge of the state from here in the middle on down.

As to the con-con, I don't think what we have is good enough (at the state level) that we need to be afraid to touch it. I really want to get a recall provision in so that the public can get rid of jerks like Blagojevich or Ryan before him without waiting four years, and the legislature won't do it. There are a bunch of other things I'd like to see changed as well that can't happen any other way, including citizen initiatives on any subject, putting some rules in place to limit the power of the leadership in the state legislature, and abolishing property taxes for funding schools. I am really pissed off that groups with state pensions are spreading scare stories that if there is a con-con they will lose their pensions. I have news for all those folks: if the state's fiscal management doesn't turn around in a big way real soon, they won't have any pensions regardless of what the constutition says, and if by some miracle we do get the pension system back on sound footing, they'll be secure anyway. If you really want to protect your pensions, you ought to start by making sure that more than 5 people (or 3 if one party has a big majority in the legislature) actually have any say on the state budget, so you should be in the forefront of approving the con-con.

I also have a bunch of more pie-in-the-sky political reforms that I'd love to see at least argued before a con-con, such as preferential voting in all state elections, joining the compact to cast the state's electoral votes for the national popular vote winner if most other states do too, and eliminating the barriers to third party candidates.

What would be on your agenda for a constitutional convention if we had one?

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

Some one intelligent, thoughtful and reasonable running as a politician?

You're right stranger things have happened. Go for it!

[kizoku42.livejournal.com]

Gerrymandering isn't unique to Illinois. Here in Michigan the Republican majority used the last census to force popular Democrats into the same district.

[archiver-tim.livejournal.com]

What do you think of a unicameral legistrater? We need two houses on the national level, but having one house in a state might be all we can afford...particularly when the downsizeing of goverment should occur along with downsizing of a state's employers.