Editorial: Time to change state law that limits the number of referendums on a ballot
In August 2018, a group led by former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn filed more than 86,000 signatures to get a binding question on the ballot that would have limited Chicago mayors to two terms.
Chicago voters, however, never got to weigh in on the proposal.
That's because the Chicago City Council put three nonbinding questions on the ballot, which crowded out the possibility for another.
Commonly known as the "rule of three," state law generally limits local referendums to three per unit of government.
Quinn says the time has come for the Illinois legislature to change that law.
"We've really got to protect initiatives by the voters from this rule of three that's used by insiders to keep questions off the ballot," Quinn said last week. "It's not a good thing."
The former governor's comments came during an online forum about direct democracy that was hosted by the Elmhurst-based Citizen Advocacy Center. One topic that was discussed was the obstacles citizens face in getting questions on ballots.
If residents want to put a question on a ballot, they must collect thousands of signatures and meet strict legal requirements, including getting petitions notarized.
Quinn said he doesn't believe the notarization requirement is necessary, and he would like to see residents be allowed to gather signatures electronically.
These are ideas worth exploring, though we're not yet completely sold on either one. A third, however, could immediately open ballot access to the public and ensure that people who are willing to undertake the rigorous process of bringing a legal question before the public can act when state and local officials won't.
Consider what happened last year in Elk Grove Village. After the state Supreme Court struck down a citizen initiative for term limits in Elk Grove Village, the village board quickly put three advisory questions on the November ballot to assure that the group pushing the drive couldn't return with an improved proposal.
At the time, the mayor denied that the three advisory questions were an attempt to prevent a citizen-led referendum petition drive. But the outcome was the same - no space was left for any other referendums.
Similarly, just last August, the DuPage County Board removed, over the objection of seven board members, a planned referendum on merging the recorder's and clerk's offices, then promptly added three advisory questions, assuring the merger question was eliminated.
There is a simple solution to these obstructions. Government entities can still be allowed to put up to three questions on a ballot, but space ought to be allotted to assure there is room for citizen initiatives on a ballot.
If residents band together, collect signatures and overcome potential legal hurdles to get a question to the voters, that work should not be undone by a political maneuver.