New IL law on cumulative voting rights; IL House amendment filed

The Midwest Democracy Center is a non-profit, membership advocacy
group that works to make our governments more democratic and
representative. We partner with the D.C.-based Center for Voting and
Democracy (www.fairvote.org). Our staffer is Dan Johnson-Weinberger 
(djw@fairvote.org).

Our main goal is to revive cumulative voting for the Illinois House
of Representatives (used from 1870 ? 1980) so that political
minorities will have some voice. Electing three people from one big
district instead of three people each from their own smaller district
ensures that all voters have someone who speaks for them. That's real
representation.

Our other main goal is to use Irish-style voting for single-winner
elections (like governor and mayor), especially in primary elections 
to ensure the majority of voters gets to pick the winner in one 
election and voters get a first-choice and second-choice.

Our website is www.midwestdemocracy.org and our telephone number is
312.587.7060. We encourage your participation!

NEW LAW LETS COUNTY BOARDS GIVE CUMULATIVE VOTING RIGHTS;
OPENS UP ONE-PARTY SYSTEMS IN COUNTIES TO MORE VOICES

We did it!

The Governor signed HB 138 into law (Public Act 93-0308), giving 
county boards the ability to give cumulative voting rights in county 
elections. This lets voters cast all two or three of their votes in a 
two-seat or three-seat election for one candidate. And that gives the 
political minority a fighting chance to elect someone, even if the 
majority of people in an area vote the other way. 

The new law also authorizes residents to put an advisory question on 
the ballot about the way the county board is elected -- another 
victory for democracy.

Special thanks go to State Representative Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) 
who pushed this bill through the House. State Senator Terry Link (D-
Highwood) also deserves thanks for pushing the bill through the State 
Senate.

The other co-sponsors to the legislation also deserve thanks and 
congratulations; they are:
Representative Paul Froehlich (R-Schaumburg)
Representative Karen May (D-Highland Park)
Senator Rick Winkel (R-Champaign)
Senator Larry Walsh (D-Joliet)
Senator Denny Jacobs (D-Moline)

If your county board uses districts that elect more than one person 
at a time, you now have the ability to get cumulative voting rights 
in your county elections. Please contact Dan Johnson-Weinberger at 
the Midwest Democracy Center at midwestdemocracy@yahoo.com if you'd 
like some help in lobbying your county board for the right to cast 
all your votes any way you see fit.

Too many counties are one-party systems where every single board 
member is from the same party. This new law lets us change that.

To see some of the press generated from the new law, please visit 
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/drive2revive

CUMULATIVE VOTING FOR IL HOUSE INTRODUCED THIS MONTH

The drive to revive cumulative voting and two-party representation 
for every Illinois voter reached another milestone this month as 
bipartisan legislation was introduced to put the question on the 
November 2004 ballot: "Should the Illinois House of Representatives 
return to three-seat districts, with cumulative voting rights?"

Representative Paul Froehlich (R-Schaumburg) and Representative 
Wyvetter Younge (D-East St. Louis) teamed up to introduce HJRCA 22, a 
constitutional amendment to bring back three-seat districts and two-
party representation for every voter.

We're planning to earn more co-sponsors to this amendment over the 
next few months (especially this week during veto session), so please 
contact your state representative and ask him or her to join the 
legislation as a co-sponsor.

LOBBY DAY THIS THURSDAY FOR INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING

The Illinois General Assembly is in session this week for three days. 
On the last day of session (Thursday), we're having a lobby day for 
advocates of instant runoff voting to come to the Capitol and talk to 
legislators about Irish-style voting. If interested, come on by, or 
get details at 
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/instantrunoffIL

EASIER VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORT MOVING FORWARD

The deadline to register to vote in Illinois is 28 days before the 
election. Hundreds of thousands of people would *like* to vote every 
election, but because they didn't register at their current address a 
month before the election, it is illegal for them to vote.

Representative Robin Kelly (D-Hazel Crest) is working to improve 
that. Her bill, HB 3812, would follow the Washington State system of 
allowing a grace period of two weeks after the 28-day deadline for 
people to register to vote if they do so in the office of the 
election administrator.

It is a compromise bill to meet the concerns of the election 
administrators who felt they couldn't meet an Iowa-style deadline of 
accepting all voter registrations (motor-voter, through deputy 
registrars, whatever) 15 days before the election, and still prepare 
for election day. The grace period only applies in the office of the 
election administrator, where quality control is highest.

We plan to work very hard to pass HB 3812 next session and would 
welcome your support on the bill as well -- please contact your state 
legislators and your election administrators (usually the county 
clerk) to ask them if they support a grace period of two weeks after 
the 28-day deadline for people to register to vote in the office of 
the election administrator. 

(And let us know what they say!)

HELP US RAISE MONEY IF YOU ARE A WORKING ASSETS CUSTOMER

You can help keep our doors open with a click of the mouse, 
especially if you are already a customer of Working Assets long 
distance telephone service. 

Our partner organization, the Center for Voting and Democracy, is one 
of fifty national groups chosen by Working Assets for funding support 
in 2003. The customers of Working Assets decide how much each group 
gets by voting. These votes do make a big difference (the range is 
from $35,000 to a high of $150,000), and we can really use the help 
to expand on our successes in Illinois.

The Center has a webpage that explains the process in more detail and 
shows you how to vote if you a Working Assets customer. Please check 
it out:

http://fairvote.org/op_eds/workingassets.htm

NEW BOARD NEEDED -- PLEASE CONSIDER PARTICIPATING!

Lots of our Board members have moved away this year -- Fred Nelson 
moved to D.C. to work as a bodyguard for Colin Powell (no joke), Amy 
Connolly moved to Santa Monica as a physicist for UCLA and Kevin 
O'Malley had a baby (his wife Jen did, but you know what I mean). So 
we have some opportunities for leadership with the Midwest Democracy 
Center! If you're intersted, please email Dan at 
midwestdemocracy@yahoo.com to get involved. Meetings are infrequent 
and email conferencing is often relied on, so you don't have to live 
in or near Chicago to partipate.

BIG CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRACY IN DC THIS WEEKEND

There's a huge conference in D.C. this weekend, organized in part by 
the Center for Voting and Democracy. Details are available at 
www.democracyusa.org and there will be workshops about our successes 
in Illinois. Come on out if you can.

Thanks for reading -- feel free to forward or post this newsletter.
Dan Johnson-Weinberger
Midwest Democracy Center
325 West Huron #304
Chicago, IL 60610
312.587.7060
www.midwestdemocracy.orrg