On April 7, proponents of a statewide Illinois initiative, which has already collected a substantial number of signatures, filed a lawsuit asking that the initiative procedure for 2020 be altered, due to the health crisis. The Complaint seeks a cut in the number of signatures by 50%, electronic signature gathering, and an extension of the petition deadline from May 3 to August 3. Morgan v White, n.d., 1:20cv-2189. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Charles Norgle, the same judge who has a case asking for petitioning relief for minor party and independent candidates. Thanks to Sam Cahnman for this news. Here is the Complaint.
See SCOTUS op in the WISC primary CV-19 mess.
I am pretty in tune with what all petitions are going on around the country, yet I heard nothing about this one. Any idea how many signatures they’ve collected so far? What exactly is this initiative? Redistricting?
The Complaint says it is the “Illinois Democracy Amemdment.”
Separate from that, some of the plaintiffs are working for a local ballot initiative
I could find nothing on the group or the proposed amendment (other than Pat Quinn is one of the attorneys). I see nothing in the complaint that suggests that a substantial number of signatures have been gathered.
Illinois has a really goofy initiative provision. Only the Legislative article may be amended by initiative, and it must make both structural and procedural changes. You can’t just have a redistricting amendment since that doesn’t change the structure of the legislature.
There is a redistricting amendment before the legislature. Neither Pritzker nor Madigan want it, so perhaps this is a response.
It is de facto W-A-R to get REAL Democracy in ALL legislative bodies in the USA —
to END the EVIL rotted rule of the nonstop gerrymander monarchs/oligarchs since 1776.
1/2 or less votes x 1/2 rigged gerrymander pack/crack areas = 1/4 or less CONTROL
— with much, much, much worse primary math by the communist/fascist D/R gangster tyrants — aka special interest gangs.
—
ONE election day — NO primaries
equal ballot access
PR
APPV
TOTSOP
Separate item –
RR want a gerrymander comm in a IL Con Am
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-redistricting-amendment-20200214-ahwa2gzanbebtflnypct4hpvbe-story.html
Advocates, lawmakers make push to change Illinois redistricting process before lines are set for another decade
https://www.changeil.org/policy-priorities/redistricting-reform/
NOT sure if a separate anti-gerrymander group in IL ???
2017 effort failed due to IL SUP CT HACKS — archive
http://independentmaps.org/independent-maps-responds-to-illinois-supreme-court-refusal-to-reconsider-ruling-on-redistricting-reform-amendment/
https://ballotpedia.org/Illinois_Independent_Redistricting_Map_Amendment_(2016)
more detail about 2016-2017 effort
https://www.law360.com/illinois/articles/1261555/illinois-voters-want-online-ballot-petitions-amid-pandemic
more about the Complaint