SPRINGFIELD, IL – On Wednesday, House Democrats advanced major elections legislation through the legislative process in the matter of just a few hours. House Republican Floor Leader State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says he joined fellow Republicans protesting the vote because of the rushed, non-transparent process that led to the passage of SB 2412.
“The process that lead to this legislation passing through the House in just a single day shows just how far the Democrats will go in flexing their political muscles under the Statehouse dome,” Windhorst said. “A bill like this that changes so much about our elections, adds questions on major issues to the ballot, and stifles the power of the minority party to appoint candidates to the ballot deserves thorough debate. This legislation was barely on the calendar before it cleared the House. This is not the best that we can do for the people of Illinois.”
SB 2412 has an immediate effective date, which means that if the bill is signed into law, Democrats will have caused candidates for the General Assembly that the Republican party has already placed on the ballot through the current legal slating process to be removed. Political parties in Illinois are allowed under current law to select legislative candidates for the General Election if no candidate appeared on the ballot as either a write in or as a qualified Primary Election candidate.
“The change proposed to the slating process in SB 2412 will have the impact of making our elections even less competitive,” Windhorst said. “That is the opposite of the direction that we should go in as a state. Incumbents already enjoy advantages, and this legislation will increase that advantage and stifle competition.”
Windhorst joined fellow Republicans in protesting against the rushed process. The legislation passed the House and will now head to the Illinois Senate for a concurrence vote.
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