Campaigns & Elections News
Campaigns & Elections
Biden DOJ: IL vote by mail system, championed by Democrats, doesn't conflict with federal election law
Attorneys general from the Biden Justice Department have sided with Illinois Democrats in a legal fight in federal court over questions whether Illinois' law, which allows votes to be received two weeks after Election Day, violates federal Election Day law
Campaigns & Elections
Appeals panel won't block pro-union Amendment 1 from ballot; Critics: Would give unions unconstitutional powers
Appeals panel says the pro-union Amendment 1 must be approved by voters before it can be challenged in court, even though opponents say the amendment's language already blatantly conflicts with federal law and is itself unconstitutional
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Campaigns & Elections
Lawsuit: Progress Illinois smeared health care exec to boost Giannoulias campaign; Suit is 'simply harassment,' says Progress IL
Progress Illinois publisher says the suit by public health executive Suzett McKinney is "frivolous," and an extension of the campaign waged by Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia in the race for the Democratic nomination for Illinois Secretary of State
Campaigns & Elections
Lawsuit challenges campaign contribution limits in Illinois judicial races
Limits on political donations in Illinois judicial races are illegal and violate the U.S. Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Chicago.
Campaigns & Elections
Standing alone: IL Supreme Court's unique retire-and-replace system lets justices all but pick replacements
This fall, voters in much of northern and central Illinois will have a rare opportunity: To elect two Illinois Supreme Court justices and possibly flip the court's partisan balance. Currently, six of the state's seven Supreme Court justices were initially appointed by the court after other justices retired, allowing some appointees the power of incumbency when they face election.
Campaigns & Elections
Unsealed records allege Pritzker oversaw fraudulent workers comp payments to former campaign worker
Former Pritzker campaign worker Jenny Thornley has been accused of fraud in wrongfully collecting unemployment benefits and in allegedly falsely accusing her former supervisor of sexual harassment to allegedly cover up alleged falsified payroll records
Campaigns & Elections
Raoul ‘tied at the hip’ with Pritzker on COVID mandates that GOP challenger says ‘destroyed lives’
Tom DeVore, the Republican nominee for Illinois Attorney General, who filed numerous lawsuits challenging Gov. JB Pritzker's Covid-related orders, says voters should also hold accountable Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who vigorously defended those orders in court
Campaigns & Elections
Cook County primary voters pick nominees for 27 Cook County Circuit, subcircuit judge posts
Results are preliminary, pending final tallies posted by Cook County and Chicago election authorities
Campaigns & Elections
Raines-Welch, wife of IL House Speaker, poised to win Cook County judgeship
Unofficial preliminary vote results indicate ShawnTe Raines-Welch, wife of Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, is in the lead for a seat on Cook County's Fourth Judicial Subcircuit court
Campaigns & Elections
Openly progressive Dem judge, ex-Lake County Sheriff appear poised for election battle for possible control of IL Supreme Court
Lake County Judge Elizabeth Rochford, backed by powerful Illinois Democrats, cruised to easy win in the Democratic primary for Illinois' Second Judicial District seat on the state Supreme Court. Ex-Lake Co. Sheriff Mark Curran held a narrow vote lead over Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes in the Republican primary contest
Campaigns & Elections
IL Dems seek to defend vote by mail law; Dem voters will be 'disenfranchised' if votes not counted 2 weeks after Election Day
A group of Republicans have sued the state, saying a state law requiring mail-in votes to be counted up to 14 days after Election Day, conflicts with federal law.
Campaigns & Elections
New poll shows Bailey, Brady, Salvi on track to win; Attorney General race a toss up
Bailey at 31% but moves to 40% when undecided voters compelled to decide preference.
Campaigns & Elections
Appeals panel agrees three suburban Supreme Court candidates can stay on primary ballot
The court determined the Illinois State Board of Elections improperly removed Republicans Susan Hutchinson and Mark Curran, and Democrat Nancy Rodkin Rotering, from the ballot by incorrectly calculating petition signature requirements under the law
Campaigns & Elections
Springfield judge denies bid to block 'unconstitutional' Amendment 1 from fall ballot; Appeal forthcoming
Plaintiffs say the proposed Illinois state constitutional amendment would allow unions to use collective bargaining agreements to override state and federal law, which the plaintiffs say makes Amendment 1 unconstitutional from the start
Campaigns & Elections
Lawsuit: Illinois illegally counts mail-in votes for federal office up to 2 weeks after Election Day
Three Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Michael Bost, have sued the state of Illinois, arguing federal law sets the date of Election Day, and Illinois' vote-by-mail illegally extends Election Day by 14 days
Campaigns & Elections
Embattled Dolton mayor says recall effort against her is unconstitutional
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard says her political opponents improperly placed a referendum to recall her from office on the same June 28 ballot with a referendum to create a legal mechanism by which she can be removed from office
Campaigns & Elections
Judge: Young alderman candidate can't keep suing Madigan, Marty Quinn for 'dirty tricks,' threats, voter intimidation
A federal judge conceded former House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and Chicago Ald. Marty Quinn may have taken improper actions to keep a young man from putting his name on the ballot to challenge Quinn. But it didn't violate the man's constitutional rights, the judge said.
Campaigns & Elections
Illinois Supreme Court: Election laws don't forbid elected officials from using campaign funds to pay criminal defense bills
Former Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis' cooperation with feds makes it OK for him to spend campaign cash on legal defense of corruption investigation, the state high court says
Campaigns & Elections
Judge says Illinois voter registration list is public, state broke law by refusing access to conservative group
A judge has ruled Illinois must turn over the state's list of registered voters to a politically conservative watchdog group, saying the list needs to be public to make sure the electoral process is on the up and up.
Campaigns & Elections
DeVore announces Illinois Attorney General campaign; Vows to never 'represent the governor against the people'
Greenville attorney Tom DeVore, who confirmed that he will run on the Republican ticket for Illinois Attorney General, said he had no intentions of pursuing politics until he watched children across the state stand up for themselves by walking into school without masks and vowed to fight for the people rather than against them.