According to this story, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will ask the legislature to quickly pass a bill, making it legal for him to call a special election to fill the U.S. House seat, 2nd district, in April, instead of in March. The 2nd district mostly in Chicago, but is also in some counties adjoining Cook County that have April elections already scheduled. Current law requires the special election to be no later than March.
The current legislative session reconvenes November 27 anyway for a veto session, lasting over a week. The rules permit a new bill to be introduced and passed in that veto session. The legislators elected in 2010, not the ones elected in 2012, will be the ones meeting this month and next month.
The general election is a waste of time in this case, so it is better to combine it with other elections.
If Illinois had Top 2, then the primary may be decisive, or in any case both the primary and special election would like draw interest.
This is why I like top-two.
Yeah, why not simply combine it with other elections?
Although this does not call for top two at all.
I prefer “Top One” in safe districts like this one. Why spend ANY money?
If Illinois had “top two” they would have to hold a primary and a phoney general election in order to carry out their one-party state controlled electoral plan. It would cost more money and be less free.
Under “top two” the voters always lose twice.
“If Illinois had Top 2, then the primary may be decisive, ”
Not true, the top two would go on to have an election even if the top choice had a majority the first time. That’s what makes top two different from an election with a runoff.
The 2nd district stretches from the city of Chicago into suburban Cook County and into Will and Kankakee counties as well. All the suburban parts of the district are scheduled to hold local elections in April already. The governor is trying to have the special election coincide with local elections in the suburban parts of the 2nd district — not with an election in Chicago, which wouldn’t otherwise hold an election in 2013.
So……any alternatives to the Janus party in this upcoming race?
#7, thanks. I fixed the post.
There is no reason to hold elections of any kind in Illinois. Democrats usually win and when Republicans win they act like Democrats. I know from personal experience. And the good news … the latest audit shows the state’s employee retirement system is now funded at just a 39% level — down from 43% previously. We are racing California to get to the Greek Debt Death spiral first.
#6 Under a Top 2 special election, a candidate with a majority in the special election is elected.
Then it’s not top two, it’s a runoff election.
#12 It is a special election under a Top 2 system.
The purpose of the 2nd election under a Top 2 system is to let the voters focus on the Top 2 candidates before making their final decision. This ensures a majority election and a considered decision.
In the case of special election, the expediency of filling the vacancy outweighs the value of a considered decision if a majority is achieved in the first round.
#14, there are no “second elections” in a top-two system. There is only one election, and it is in November. The California June event, and the Washington state August event, are not elections because no one is elected at them. Even if someone gets 100% in June or August, he or she is not elected. These events are ballot access barriers to the election itself. That is the essential fact that you won’t grapple with. It is highly authoritarian to say that only the two most popular candidates may run in the election itself.