The U.S. Supreme Court delivered an important decision this week by ruling that Illinois Republican Congressman Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) has legal standing to challenge Illinois’ controversial mail-in ballot law. The 7–2 decision in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections doesn’t decide whether the law itself is constitutional — but it opens the courthouse door for candidates to hold election rules accountable in court.

At issue is an Illinois statute that allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to two weeks afterward.… Continue Reading

Imagine if Republicans were to seize a pivotal moment to engage in a sustained national debate over issues like inflation, crime, national security threats, and the costs associated with Joe Biden’s border policies. No political analyst would suggest that Democrats could withstand such focused scrutiny on top national concerns where a supermajority of voters oppose Biden’s policies.

So, instead of avoiding a budget fight in September, why not confront it head-on?… Continue Reading

History tends to repeat itself. This is certainly true of “Ranked Choice Voting” in Illinois.

You may remember a junior state senator in Illinois by the name of Barack Obama. In 2001, then-Senator Obama introduced a bill that would have put on the ballot a Constitutional Amendment to elect the Illinois House of Representatives by “fair voting” in 3-seat districts elected by voters given cumulative voting rights.

Then, in 2002, Obama introduced a bill that would have required that partisan primaries for congressional office be conducted by “instant runoff voting” or IRV, also known as ranked-choice voting.… Continue Reading

The 2018 election for Macon County Sheriff was an example of nearly everything that can possibly go wrong in an election. Unsurprisingly, the problems that occurred in Macon County illustrate the issues facing the entire state of Illinois. Elections and election results are often uncertain in Illinois for several reasons, and many of the related problems surfaced in the sheriff’s court case.

As a result of the legal proceedings in the Macon County Sheriff election, the ballots were recounted.… Continue Reading

The right to vote is nearly sacred in the United States. Elections are closely monitored for an accurate count and assurance that the voices of the people are heard. At least that is the intended outcome of the election process, but, far too often, things go awry. Many of us watched back-and-forth recounts, audits, and legal battles in various states over the 2020 presidential election. However, there was a battle right here in Illinois for election legitimacy of which few were aware.… Continue Reading