DeKalb Times

Last week, the Democratic Party in Illinois passed legislation to modify the state's election law. Critics argue that these changes serve the party's political interests, hinder the Republican Party's ability to fill office vacancies, and use non-binding questions on ballots to encourage Democrat voters.

The amendment to SB 2412 was filed and passed through both the House and Senate within a 24-hour period. Critics claim this move prioritizes political corruption over transparency. In response, House Republican lawmakers unanimously voted "present" on the bill as a form of protest against both its content and process.

House Republican Leader Tony McCombie stated during a press conference that "serious legislators should want to give time for the public to understand the impact on our state." He added that such tactics are usually seen on May 31 but questioned why there was a sense of urgency at this time unless it was an attempt "to stifle the democratic process through the changes on slating candidates."

Senate Bill 2412, also known as the “Katie Stuart Protection Act,” discontinues the practice of allowing local party organizations to appoint candidates for uncontested legislative races in general elections. The bill also mandates candidates to collect and file signed petitions from registered voters within their respective districts.

Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 2412 into law shortly after its passage by Senate concurrence with House amendments. This occurred only hours after he told reporters he had not seen all details of the measure.

Deputy Republican Leader Ryan Spain criticized what he called Democrats' political gamesmanship, saying: “The Democratic Majority has the ability to put real questions on the ballot, such as Fair Maps and critically needed Ethics Reform; but today they chose to play games." He added that these actions disenfranchise voters and suppress competition, arguing that "the rules shouldn’t be changing in the middle of an election cycle."

Spain concluded by saying: “The losers in all of this are the voters and the people of Illinois who deserve checks and balances and they deserve elections that are actually competitive.”