Welcome to campaign season!
Lest anyone think the conclusion of primary election voting today means a reprieve from the barrage of yard signs and other advertising, be reminded that anyone who thought they might emerge victorious tonight stood ready with a strategy for the 33 weeks before the general election.
There are significant differences between this year and the previous statewide general election in 2022: chiefly, the 2022 primary was in June, leaving only 19 weeks, and the top of the ticket was the governor’s mansion, not the White House. Throw on top the reports this primary cycle is significantly noncompetitive and there are some areas – such as my part of the 10th Congressional District – where the primary is almost entirely off the radar except to ardent partisans.
Political operatives, however, operate on a different frequency. They know petition circulation for new party and independent candidates starts a week from today and that the voter registration process reopens Thursday. The State Board of Elections has a helpful calendar of every possible date for candidates, individuals and government officials at elections.il.gov/Main/CalendarEventsAll.aspx. For questions specific to your precinct, it’s always best to contact the local election authority.
(Quick break for education: Why don’t we just say check with the county clerk? Because the clerk is only the election authority in 101 of the state’s 102 counties. Peoria County has a county election commission, and there are six municipal commissions – in Bloomington, Chicago, Danville, East St. Louis, Galesburg and Rockford.)
As observed at the conclusion of any voting cycle, the business of running the state has far more impact on readers’ lives than the political machinations of election season, but it’s important to understand how campaign considerations can affect legislation and other Springfield decisions. With respect for understandable fatigue – especially since the presidential campaign looks to feature two people with whom the American public could scarcely be more familiar – we’ll set aside some space here and there to consider how the next ballot shapes up and what that might mean for the average voter.
It’s always campaign season – in Illinois and everywhere else.
ON THIS DAY: March 19 is the birthday of four famous Illinoisans from different vocations. Representing the performing arts is Leonard Tristano (1919, Chicago), an influential jazz pianist, improvisor and educator. For the written word there’s Irving Wallace (Chicago, 1916), a best-selling novelist and nonfiction writer with several screenwriting credits. Representing the military is Lt. Gen. Joseph Carroll (Chicago, 1910), the first director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and initial commander of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. And in politics, William Jennings Bryan (Salem, 1860), 41st U.S. Secretary of State and thrice an unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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