On April 1, the Illinois Senate defeated SB 1666 by a vote of 17-37. It would have converted Illinois from a state with a primary in which the primary voter must publicly say which primary ballot he or she wants, to a system in which the primary voter makes that decision in the secrecy of the voting booth. Thanks to Steve Rankin for this news. Proponents of the change are not downhearted, because they have been working for this change for many years, and this is the first time this type of bill has advanced this far.