 The governor
on Tuesday used an amendatory veto to change a piece of
legislation to create a much more open primary.Voters would still
have to choose between Republicans or Democrats, but Quinn's plan
would let them do that in the voting booth. Right now, anyone who
votes in the primary has to pull a party ballot from election
workers.
The governor said his open primary would be a win for voters and
a loss for the political bosses who want to control elections.
"Illinois' not about professional politicians. ...We need to use
a crowbar to open up the process and let people vote in a primary
without disclosure of their party," said Quinn.
Quinn did not name any names. Critics immediately jumped on the
governor's move as a political ploy or phony populism. But Ron
Michaelson, a University of Illinois Springfield professor and
former Illinois elections chief, said he doesn't think it's phony.
"This is the reformer in the governor coming out," Michaelson
said. "These are the kind of issues that Pat Quinn for 30 years has
been promoting here in Illinois. ... But the way he has done what he
has done is not going to go down well in Illinois."
Michaelson said Quinn's order to move away from party-dominated
primaries is a "monumental" shift in the state's political system.
Both state lawmakers and local political party leaders agree.
State Rep Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, said the governor's plan
would do more to influence elections in Illinois than anything
legislators have done in years.
"(An open primary) will triple the cost of an election. Because
now instead of worrying about getting your own voters out in a
primary, you're now going to have to mail and campaign to the other
party. And the other party may not have pure intentions," he said.
Tryon, who is also the head of the McHenry County Republican
Party, said political operatives could use an open primary to thin
out the competition.
"You're going to have Democrats and Republicans, and libertarians
and Green party (voters) crossing into each other's primary, saying,
'I'm going to vote against this guy, or I'm going to vote for this
guy so this guy doesn't get the nomination. So our guy has a better
chance.'"
Former Bureau County Democratic boss and longtime state Rep.
Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said that's called the "bozo
effect." And while Mautino said that could happen in an open
primary, he does not want to change the system, because the current
two-party structure works.
"To me the strength of the two-party system is that as Democrats
we have some beliefs or normal alliances that allow us to elect our
strongest candidate in an orderly fashion. And it'd probably be the
same for the Republicans."
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Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said he thinks an
open primary might help Republicans. He thinks taking away patronage
might allow some voters to vote their conscience and not vote to
keep their jobs.
But Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady's focus seemed
to be on bashing Quinn.
"This should be should be so far down on the list of priorities
for Gov. Quinn right now I don't know why he's doing this," said
Brady, state senator from Bloomington.
UIS' Michaelson said that with the election coming this fall, he
can think of some reasons for Quinn to propose the idea.
"It's going to please those who, for many years, have wanted to
change our primary election system," he said. "On the other hand
it's going to displease members from both parties. The party
loyalists, the party chieftains."
As current and former party chieftains, both Tryon and Mautino
said they do not believe Quinn's proposal will ever become law. Both
expect the General Assembly to kill the amendatory veto sometime
this fall.
That is almost a certainty, according to the changed plan's
original author, state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero. He said
Tuesday that he has already sent word to Senate President John
Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan, both Chicago Democrats,
that he intends to override Quinn's changes.
"He has a right, as the executive of the state, to (change the
proposal). But I will consider filling a motion to override the veto
and let the legislature debate what is now a wildly popular
concept," Sandoval said.
A spokesman for the House Speaker said Quinn's veto is under
review.
Lawmakers are not scheduled to return to Springfield to deal with
the governor's veto until after the November election.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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