Wednesday, October 13, 2010
 
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Illinois' other parties differ on 'get out vote' plans

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[October 13, 2010]  SPRINGFIELD -- With early voting under way and Election Day just three weeks away, Republicans and Democrats in Illinois are pushing their "get out the vote" messages. But the state's other parties are split on their plans to get voters from rallies to the ballot box.

HardwareThe Green Party, which put itself on equal footing with Republicans and Democrats four years ago, acknowledges that it cannot keep up with the two major parties in terms of spending or local organizations.

Still, Phil Huckelberry, the Illinois chairman for the Greens, said the state party is doing what it can to try to target their voters and get supporters to cast a ballot.

"We're rolling over to using a lot more in the way of social media, trying to run people through websites, trying to boost a lot of attention that way. ... Our opponents are going to have a lot of money, they're going to have lot of commercials running. We're not going to have a lot of commercials running," he said.

Huckelberry added that since the Green Party cannot buy a presence on television across the state, they've switched to a local-first strategy.

"When and where we have a really strong local candidate, we are trying to put a lot of our energy and focus around that candidate," he said. "Because that's a magnet to get people out on Election Day, that's a magnet to get people to knock on doors."

Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for governor, is trailing the GOP's Bill Brady and incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in every statewide poll. Huckelberry said it's often easier to get volunteers to support Whitney's campaign if the local candidate is strong.

But while the Greens are trying to organize their party, tea party supporters in Illinois are not.

There is not a single tea party organization in the state. Instead Illinois has dozens of local chapters. And those locals say getting tea party supporters out to vote will be up to candidates.

Seth Cocquite, who organized the West Central Illinois Tea Party Patriots, said he did it to inform voters and not to become another political party.

"The rallies that we hold, they're to motivate people and give them some confidence," he said.

Cocquite said individual candidates need to tap into that motivation and get people to the polls. And if that doesn't happen, Cocquite said many tea party supporters don't need to have their hands held.

"As long as (the voters) stay motivated and they know that it is important to vote, they will get themselves up and get to the polls," he said.

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Craig Orlet with the Southern Illinois Tea Party thinks the lack of a strong organization is what has drawn many people to the tea party movement.

"There is no infrastructure. The tea party itself is not centralized. There are no people at the top telling other people what to do. Each tea party is individualized by itself and run by those people," Orlet said.

As for a plan, even a local plan to get voters out on Election Day, Orlet said that's not part of the mission. He believes the tea party is doing its job with rallies and pressure on elected officials.

"I wouldn't expect (the tea party) to become a third party. I think what they're doing now -- getting people out, getting people active and getting them enthused -- is doing a great deal," said Orlet.

But Huckelberry, with the Green Party, said becoming an established party has made all the difference for them. Huckelberry insists that a solid local organization is key to success. Which is why he fears that a poor showing this year could strip them of the established party label.

"At the same time that we have that concern, we have a stronger party organization in place and we're better able to move forward, regardless of whether something bad happens to us on Election Day or not," said Huckelberry.

Calls to Scott Lee Cohen's campaign for a comment on their "get out the vote" strategy were not returned.

[Illinois Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]

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