Hard to fathom passion for term limits

Democracy in Illinois is alive and well. Our state has liberal early voting laws. It has registration laws which allow every citizen unrestricted access to registering to vote in their home district.

Polling places in Illinois are adequately staffed so any citizen who has registered to vote can, with a limited wait time, vote.

Legislators, city council members, mayors, governors and village presidents are elected in fair elections.

So why do some people in Illinois find it so important to limit voters choices by term limits? Term limits stunt free and open elections in Illinois. The idea to prevent someone, who the voters wish to serve in a government post, from serving another term is undemocratic. If an official is performing poorly, voters should have the right to remove him or her from the post in a fair and open election.

There are many states in the Union which are restricting citizens' right to vote with restrictive voter ID laws. The courts have found that these voter ID laws are discriminatory. This is not the case in Illinois.

If the organizations which wish to impose undemocratic term limits on Illinois and computerized redistricting have such a profound interest in fair elections they should expend their energy in states which restrict voter rights, not in Illinois which has done much to expand voters' rights to register to vote without restriction and permit those citizens to vote freely.

Tom Teune

Wheaton