Voters and county clerks across Illinois can breathe easier. Primary elections are headed back to March.
Gov. Pat Quinn, flanked by legislators from both parties, on Wednesday signed into law Senate Bill 355, which pushes the primary back for 2012 and beyond. The move was made after poor turnout during last month’s primary.
Quinn said signing the bill was a good day for democracy.
“It showed the exercise of democracy in making sure that we have as many people as possible participate in our elections,” Quinn said at a Statehouse news conference after signing the bill. “Democracy is not a spectator sport. It involves everyone.”
Primaries were moved to February in 2007 with bipartisan support in advance of the 2008 presidential primary election, which benefited then-Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential run.
Mullins said the February primary was too near the holidays, and the March primary is familiar to voters.
“A lot of people know there are elections in March,” Mullins said.
Many Illinois election judges spend most of the winter in warmer climates.
“A lot of the ‘snowbirds’ are back by the third Tuesday in March,” Mullins said.
Sangamon County Clerk Joe Aiello said the change should have little effect on his office.
He said voter turnout in February was 19 percent, compared to the March 2006 primary turnout of 18.8 percent.
One complaint from voters regarding the earlier elections was the increase of automated telephone calls in the last couple weeks leading up to it.
“The downside is the earlier election season,” Aiello said.
Matt Hopf can be reached at 782-3095.
Read the original article from The State Journal-Register.
