Demand the truth
Think of all the stomach-turning direct-mail election ads, TV ads and radio spots that paint candidates in an unfair light. You’re probably seeing a lot fewer of them during this primary election season, but not because more candidates are taking the high road.
It’s because there are fewer contested races. For years we’ve see erosion of both the number of people seeking election and the number of people going to the polls.
Sure, it’ll be different in November when there will be plenty of congressional contests, statehouse and county races. And voters are sure to come out in droves for the marquee matchup of Trump v. Biden.
Cynicism is on the rise across the country. Potential voters are turned off by lies, insults, ad hominem attacks and character assassination. Good candidates in many cases forego running for office because they don’t want to be subjected to the ugliness of it all.
With fewer good candidates and less interest in voting, we are losing that which makes this nation special. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps going in the wrong direction. Illinois does not require you to play fair and tell the truth if you’re running for office. And those who fight dirty often win.
Enter the Citizens for Ethical Campaigns, a new grass-roots organization looking to turn that around.
“If the people of Illinois want to see less corruption in government, they must demand that the candidates they elect be steadfast in their values of honesty and decency,” said Denyse Stoneback, who along with other activists started the group. “That starts with their campaign.”
Stoneback was a one-term state representative in the 16th House District, which serves Skokie and neighboring communities. The longtime gun control advocate was moved to make things better after her reelection campaign was scuttled by negative campaigning that painted her as a gun control opponent.
“I didn’t want other candidates to experience what I did,” she said. “We can make democracy better by making politics better.”
Late in her term, Stoneback introduced legislation known as the Truth in Politics Act, which never made it to a floor vote. It would have required honest campaigning. But then she learned Illinois passed a Code of Fair Campaign Practices in 1989 that, while voluntary, encourages candidates at all levels to follow basic principles of decency, honesty and fair play.
She was reminded of the time when then-presidential candidate John McCain corrected a woman in a crowd who insisted that Barack Obama was a Muslim. He pointed out that he and Obama merely disagreed on some policy issues.
“We need to get back to that,” Stoneback said.
Citizens For Ethical Campaigns urges candidates for all levels of government to agree to follow the principles of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices. The group noted in a news release this week that 58 candidates have signed on. More candidates should be familiar with the code, and voters should insist on supporting candidates who pledge to conduct campaigns that focus on policy positions and not unfair smears of their opponents.
If candidates could be better trusted to tell the truth, we as voters could make decisions based on policy positions.
It’s telling that Illinois can’t seem to agree that telling the truth is important. Many other states do. We urge the General Assembly to reintroduce the bill and make it a requirement.
If we’re ever to have truly fair elections, telling the truth ought to be part of it
Check out the organizations website at citizensforethicalcampaigns.org.