Crowded field eyes Secretary of State job as Jesse White prepares to leave post

[September 25, 2021]  By Greg Bishop

(The Center Square) – Illinoisans will elect the first new Secretary of State in more than 20 years next year.

Longtime Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White isn’t seeking reelection. The field to replace is likely to be crowded headed into the June 2022 primary.

White is serving his sixth consecutive term. The 87-year-old initially wasn’t going to run for another term in 2018, but he decided to continue and maintained the seat. Not this time, he said in August.

“I’ve enjoyed government life and I’m going to ride off into the sunset,” White said at the Illinois State Fair.

While the filing period for the primary isn’t until January, some have announced they’re seeking to replace White, including former Democratic Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

“Well, first of all, the state owes Jesse White a debt of gratitude for tackling an office that was full of scandal and corruption,” Giannoulias said at the fair in August. “I think going forward, modernization is going to be key. New technology. I view the Secretary of State’s office as a customer service business.”

“So, we’re going to focus on modernization, skip the line program, get a digital driver’s license and create a Secretary of State app,” he said.

Another name running for the Democratic nomination is Pat Dowell. She also supports a digital driver’s license.

“Whether at an airport security check, a traffic stop, or an age verification, a scan of a driver’s license on your cell phone can quickly give accurate information and save officials and Illinoisans time and trouble,” Dowel said. "You would be able to access your digital driver’s license on your phone, either through the personal dashboard I’ve proposed or as a standalone app.”

Secretary of State Jesse White at the Illinois State Fair. Separately, Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias and State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, talk about possible runs. 

• Greg Bishop / The Center Square

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said he’s exploring a run by talking to voters across the state.

“They wanna see improvement in the Secretary of State’s office,” Brady said. “They wanna see expediency when it comes to an office that’s supposed to be of service, not a policy office, so there’s room for improvement there.”

Brady said there also needs to be a focus on protecting people's digital information and better management of the largest Secretary of State’s office in the country.

“There are over forty-two-hundred jobs and we still have lines in a number of the driver’s facilities across the state of Illinois waiting,” Brady said in August.

Other candidates vying for their party’s nomination include Anna Valencia, David Moore and Sidney Moore

Combined, there are around a half dozen names that have either announced or are exploring a run.

The primary is in June. The general election is in November 2022.