(The Center Square) – Illinois Senate Republicans are pushing for a package of amendments to the state constitution they say will give voters more control over state government.
Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, said Illinois voters deserve better.
“The people don’t have a voice,” McConchie said during a virtual news conference Tuesday. “It is only those well connected, those that are in power, those that are maintaining power over the voters.”
The Republican brought forward the “Voter Empowerment Project” the minority party has introduced in the past, including an amendment to create an independent redistricting committee.
Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment (SJRCA) 13 “Requires an independent redistricting commission, where the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and the most senior supreme court justice of the opposite party would jointly select 17 commissioners to serve on the commission,” McConchie’s office said.
SJRCA 14 would allow voters to “make more substantive changes to their constitution” through citizen-initiative amendments.
Another, SJRCA 15 would allow voters to “initiate up-or-down referendums on newly passed laws.”
The final proposal in the package is SJRCA 16, which would allow the recall of any elected official, including the Illinois House Speaker or Illinois Senate President and even the Auditor General of Illinois.
“Illinois is at a crossroads,” McConchie said. “We can either allow the political elite to continue to govern and rule our state based on their own interest and completely disregarding the interest and concerns of all Illinoisans, or we can finally stand up and empower the voters to take back their government.”
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon’s office said the measures “will get the appropriate, thorough review.”
Separately, with this summer’s primary for only Democrats and Republicans, McConchie said he’s is open to bringing about a more open process, but there’s not much hope things will change.
Illinois is a closed primary state where voters in a primary have to declare which party they are voting for. Voter rolls track whether someone picked a Republican or a Democratic ballot. The primary does not include independent candidates, or non-established parties.
McConchie said he’s open to discussing changes.
“I favor opening up the process, let’s have this kind of debate, let’s talk about what’s best for Illinois,” McConchie said when asked about the closed process.
From ballot access laws that create boobytraps, to the length of time between the primary and general elections, to the role of money in campaigns, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said she’s also open to discussing electoral reform.
“All of these pieces actually bring more democracy to the process and bring more people to the process and therefore bring more faith to the process,” Cassidy told The Center Square in November. “But, the way we’ve always done it has worked out really well for a lot of people so I think it’s going to continue down the road for some time.”
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