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News :: Elections & Legislation |
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Bill Allows Illinois County Boards To Use Cumulative Voting, Change Board Structures |
Current rating: 0 |
by Aracely Hernandez
(No verified email address) |
24 Jul 2003
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Through cumulative voting, constituents can use all
their votes for one candidate. |
Voters now can have a say about how large their county
board should be and how it should be elected.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday signed a bill
allowing residents to place an advisory referendum on
the ballot regarding the size, makeup and election of
county boards.
"This will give constituents more voice," said state
Rep. Jack Franks, a Woodstock Demo crat who
co-sponsored the bill.
But even if approved, an advisory referendum would not
lead to law. The county board ultimately would decide
whether the current system works better, said McHenry
County Board Vice Chairman Don Larson, a Harvard
Republican.
"I would be surprised if they wanted to change it,"
Larson said. "It serves well."
The McHenry County Board consists of 24 members from
six districts. Each district elects four board
members.
The bill would not apply to voters in Kane County
because the county board there has only one
representative in each of its 26 districts. The bill
is aimed at counties with more than one representative
in each district.
Franks said some voters approached him about changing
the way the board is elected last summer when board
members approved 85 percent pay raises for the board
after cutting funding for other departments.
"I think it's really a grass-roots effort," he said.
"It's a victory for the constituents. I think our
county board is too big right now," he said.
Voters also could choose to increase the board's size.
But Franks said he doubts that any voters will choose
that because it creates more bureaucracy.
County officials have said that having 24 members on
the board prevents anyone from gaining too much power.
The new law also allows ballot questions about using a
cumulative voting system to elect county board
members.
Through cumulative voting, constituents can use all
their votes for one candidate. In McHenry County,
there are four county board members in each district.
If all were up for re-election, a person could use all
four votes for one candidate.
Franks has said smaller towns could gain
representation through cumulative voting because most
board members come from more-populated areas of each
district.
For example, in District 6, county board members are
from Harvard and Marengo. None is from smaller towns,
such as Union.
Illinois voters elected the state Legislature using
cumulative voting from 1870 to 1980. Larson said
cumulative voting was done away with because it did
not work well.
"We'll have to see if the public wants that," he said.
Copyright - 1998-2002 Northwest Herald Newspapers |
See also:
http://www.midwestdemocracy.org
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