Mount Prospect residents to pick election process

Mount Prospect will leave it up to the residents to determine how the village conducts their local elections.

The village board voted four to three to place a referendum on the Feb. 2, 2010, ballot that could amend Mount Prospect's election procedures. It could change whether the village holds a primary election for local offices and how many signatures would be needed to get onto the ballot.

There was a large divide on the board when it came to putting the issue to referendum. Trustees Steven Polit, Arlene Juracek and John Matuszak voted "no" while trustees Michael Zadel, Paul Hoefert and John Korn voted "yes" on the matter. Mayor Irvana Wilks was the deciding vote.

Historically, Mount Prospect has held nonpartisan local elections with no primaries.

But last spring, based on what they said was a new interpretation of state election regulations, Mount Prospect officials decided to run their local election under the primary system.

In the end, not enough candidates filed to require the village to hold a primary. But the village had to move up its candidate filing period for the possible primary, which officials acknowledged did create some confusion.

If the referendum passes in February, the village will go back to a non-primary system.

The referendum also calls for a change in how many signatures are needed to get on the ballot. Now a candidate needs 1 percent of the number of people who voted in the last election, or about 45 signatures.

The village is looking at changing that to 1 percent of all registered voters, or about 300 signatures. Before last spring's election, the village used a different measurement that required a similar number of signatures.

Trustee Zadel said if Mount Prospect creates its own model for elections, it eliminates any confusion from the state. He said if they adopt their own election standards, they cannot be subject to further changes by the state. Zadel said state legislators come and go and there will always be a different interpretation of regulations.

On the other side of the issue, Trustee Juracek believes that Mount Prospect should have stuck to the state model so that the village would be the same as the state standards and other municipalities.

A second reading of this ordinance will be voted on at the next village board meeting Nov. 3. The wording of the referendum can be discussed and changed at that meeting.