THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...New GOP Leader "welcomes" billionaire bucks...Amendment 1 passes...Reluctance to change SAFE-T Act
November 17, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
Paid subscribers are getting all of the details on the messy Senate Republican overthrow of incumbent Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). We outlined a major departure from the SGOP for subscribers last night. To keep up on the latest, join us as a paid subscriber now. It’s just $99 per year or $9.99 per month. Your subscriptions are how we keep the lights on around here, so we appreciate your support.
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We talked about necessary changes to the cash bail portion of the SAFE-T Act with two top prosecutors yesterday in our weekly Livestream and podcast. You can watch it here or listen to the podcast version here. You can subscribe to the weekly podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, or Amazon.
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YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
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New state Senate GOP leader welcomes billionaires’ bucks but warns party must ‘diversify our fundraising’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
After a bruising election that relied heavily on billionaire mega donors, newly selected Illinois Senate Minority Leader John Curran on Wednesday said Republicans must find broader financial support for candidates if the party wants to have “a bigger voice” in Springfield.
Curran was unanimously selected Tuesday to lead the Senate Republican caucus, which will have 19 members to the Democrats’ 40 after last week’s elections. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, the Downers Grove Republican said his caucus needs a reset button when it comes to campaign fundraising.
When asked specifically about big GOP backers, Curran did not mention megadonors Dick Uihlein, Ken Griffin or any others by name, telling the Sun-Times, “Well, the solution is a lot of hard work and a lot of conversations.”
“We have to diversify our fundraising bases. Those that have supported us in the past, thank you. And we want to continue to work with you and earn your trust and your support,” Curran said.
“But we have to broaden that appeal because we’re getting heavily outspent in all our races all across the state. It is by multipliers of three and four to one. We need to turn that around because that is a critical issue for Republicans if we’re going to become a bigger voice and a bigger part of the process here in Springfield.”
Related: After big losses last week, Illinois GOP vows big changes with new legislative leaders: ‘We certainly have a lot to rebuild’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Republican state legislators choose new leaders after election cements Democratic dominance in General Assembly (Chicago Tribune)
GOP chooses new leadership in General Assembly as Dems retain control (Capitol News Illinois)
McCombie to take reins of House GOP caucus (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois Democrats' election wins to have political, policy consequences (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Q&A with incoming Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (Quad-City Times)
Opinion: Here’s my advice for making the Illinois Republican Party relevant again (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois voters approve collective bargaining amendment (Associated Press)
Illinois voters have approved an amendment to their state constitution guaranteeing the right to bargain collectively.
The measure in last week’s election was closely watched in Illinois and beyond as a gauge of public support for the labor movement, which has lost ground for years in conservative-led states. Unions groups say it could signal a new chapter in the struggle over workers’ rights as U.S. union ranks have grown as everyone from coffee shop baristas to warehouse workers seeks to organize.
They view it as a way to ensure workers will always be able to use their collective clout to secure better pay, hours and working conditions. They also say it will prevent the Legislature, should it undergo a shift to the right, from passing a so-called right-to-work law that would allow workers covered by union contracts to not pay dues.
“Being able to protect everyone’s ability to step up and organize their workplace is a critical component to making sure everyone has access to some higher paying jobs and safer workplaces,” said Joe Bowen, spokesman for the Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights group. “Specifically, you’ve certainly seen a lot of abuses -- Starbucks baristas or folks who might work at Amazon warehouses. But these historical examples have existed for generations and it’s really important that we do what we can to secure these rights for Illinoisans.”
Related: ‘Fundamental right’ of workers to organize being added to Illinois constitution (Chicago Tribune)
Workers’ rights amendment wins place in Illinois Constitution (Chicago Sun-Times)
With three session days left, SAFE-T Act changes could be forthcoming, ‘technical’ in nature (Capitol News Illinois)
Changes may yet come to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform before its Jan. 1 effective date, but some of its major proponents in the General Assembly said the results of the Nov. 8 general election have signified that the ship has sailed drastic amendments to it.
“I will say, when it came to the idea of gutting it, that was a bipartisan thing that was real, and I will acknowledge that,” Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, said at a news conference Tuesday. “But what I will say is that, after Tuesday, the main thing is to make sure it's technical and we can implement it the right way.”
Long a talking point of Republicans in a contentious election cycle, the SAFE-T Act is a wide-ranging reform that passed in January 2021. One of its final provisions to take effect is a measure that will end cash bail, known as the Pretrial Fairness Act, beginning Jan. 1.
Peters said Wednesday there’s no appetite among advocates to push that date back further.
The PFA eliminates cash as a determinant for pretrial release, replacing it with a system that gives judges authority to detain individuals accused of certain crimes while they await trial.
The law’s standards regarding when a judge can order pretrial detention have been among the most hotly contested provisions in the run-up to the November elections.
Hear the State’s Attorney side here.
Related: Editorial: First step in fixing the SAFE-T Act? Leave partisan pettiness at the door. (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Our state’s attorneys are right. Changes to SAFE-T Act are needed (Rockford Register Star)
Opinion: SAFE-T Act scare tactics did not work on voters, paving way for reform (Rockford Register Star)
DuPage judge intervenes in 45th House District vote count (Daily Herald)
DuPage County election workers will be prohibited from using vote-by-mail applications to verify signatures on mail-in ballots still to be counted, a judge ruled Tuesday.
On Monday, state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi filed a lawsuit against DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek, claiming her office was improperly verifying signatures on mail-in ballots. The lawsuit comes as Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican, remains in a neck-and-neck race for the 45th District seat against Democrat Jenn Ladisch Douglass.
Mazzochi argues in the suit that the state Election Code requires signatures on mail-in ballots be verified by using a person's most recent voter registration record. However, Mazzochi's lawsuit claims, the county clerk's office hasn't been complying with the statute.
"At least three individuals, including Mazzochi herself, have witnessed the verification of mail-in ballots that have signatures that do not match the voter's registration record, where election officials subsequently 'verify' the signature by comparing it to the signature that appears on the mail-in ballot application," the lawsuit states.
On Tuesday, Judge James Orel granted Mazzochi's request for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the clerk's office "from using any signature on a vote by mail application in connection with validating signatures." In explaining the rationale for his ruling, the judge said use of a vote-by-mail application to validate signatures on the vote-by-mail ballot itself "would be an obvious way to commit ballot fraud."
"Consequently, the ruling ... benefits both candidates, as well as the DuPage County Clerk's Office, who is obligated to follow the statute," Orel wrote in the order. The judge also rejected a motion filed by the clerk's attorneys to dismiss the lawsuit.
Related: Mazzochi prevails in suit against DuPage Clerk Kaczmarek over 45th District mail ballots (Pioneer Press/Chicago Tribune)
Republican challenger concedes to Illinois Democrat accused of domestic violence (WBEZ)
Patrick Sheehan concedes to Michael Hastings in 19th Senate contest (Daily Southtown)
Republican concedes race for Cook County Board, leaving the party with one seat after narrow defeat in Northwest Side, suburban district (Chicago Tribune)
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Re: the Mazzocci lawsuit:
This makes me wonder what happens to my vote if my signature has changed. I am now 78 years old and recently visited a man who has moderately severe palsy in his right hand. It's possible that his or my signature will become illegible in the next few elections.