Petition Pain

Maybe now that the mayor of Chicago, and more than a few other pols are finding it more difficult to gather petitions, the state legislature could find it expedient to streamline Illinois' petition requirements.

Of course, that was the point of the law, to make it difficult for the average citizen to file for office, building in an advantage for the party bosses and their patronage armies. We see the links to corruption.

Note requirements to run for village trustee in Wilmette:

State law provides that the number of signatures required for a candidate is not less than 5% or more than 8% of the number of persons who voted (6,169) at the last election for Village officers (which was April 2005). (In contrast, as I recall, the school board required only 100 signatures.)

And then the candidate is helpfully directed to the website of the State Board of Elections for a convenient 81 page guide to filing. Oh yes, and right up front they suggest you get legal advice--a nice little cash cow for election lawyers.

And with the shift a few years ago to hold local elections in the spring, rather than the fall, unless you're inside (in some proverbial smoke-filled rooms) gathering petition signatures can be brutal.