Changing the rules in the middle of the game to give yourself the advantage is never a fair strategy.
That is how Illinois Republicans described the new law Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed earlier this month that requires state House and Senate candidates to run in the primary if they want to end up on the November general election ballot. Typically, party leaders have slated candidates for the November ballot in late spring if the party had no one run in the primary.
The legislation is nothing more than a “dictator-style tactic of stealing an election,” Republicans have contended, as it takes away party leaders’ ability to choose a general election candidate. Democrats have maintained that the law tamps down “backroom” deals.
Maybe so. But there’s no question the law, if allowed to go into effect, would give the Democrat-dominated legislature the upper hand for this year’s general election. The law looks to us like pure gamesmanship. The move, we think, is meant to protect Democrats who hold vulnerable seats.
Prospective Republican candidates hoping to be slated by the party have a legitimate complaint, since the rules were revised in the middle of an election cycle.
Sangamon County Circuit Judge Gail Noll made the right call last week by granting a preliminary injunction barring the enforcement of the new law until the June 3 hearing on the complaint filed by four Republican candidates hoping to be placed on the November ballot.
The candidates from Chicago, Northbrook and Hickory Hills deserve their day in court.
And frankly, Democrats ought to realize that keeping ballot access as wide as possible is to their advantage. They’re in the majority now, but nothing lasts forever.
“For a party that espouses being the watchdog for voter disenfranchisement, well, this goes against their basic philosophical bent,” said Daniel Behr, one of the four Republicans who filed the lawsuit.
Good point. Not to mention that voters deserve a chance to have options and competitive races on their ballot, something the new law would restrict.
Americans of all political stripes are growing more and more skeptical about the fairness of the election process. Some of those fears, of course, are based on conspiracy theories that are completely devoid of fact — the Big Lie about the “stolen” 2020 presidential election comes immediately to mind — but some of the disillusionment, including widespread concern over voter suppression, is valid.
If Democrats wanted to change the rules for nominating candidates, maybe they should have waited until 2025, a non-election year. Even then, the idea would deserve some lively debate. Oh, wait, maybe that’s what they were trying to avoid, by introducing and passing a law within days.
The Sun-Times welcomes letters to the editor and op-eds. See our guidelines.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com
