Opinion

Try digital petitions

Posted July 31, 2018 1:00 am

Illinois makes it far too complicated for individuals to run for office. With 6,963 units of local government, there are many elected offices to fill, and a significant number of those elections go uncontested. A representative democracy can only work properly when the elections are competitive, because officials are forced to be more accountable to their constituents when there is a possibility that they will be voted out.

In order to run for office, candidates need to gather hundreds if not thousands of signatures in support of their campaign, and currently, they need to do it all on paper. In order to keep up with the modern world, candidates should be allowed to collect these signatures digitally. There are already apps and websites used in other states that allow candidates to do this, and they have had a lot of success.

Collecting signatures digitally can help candidates gather petitions more efficiently, make it easier for election boards to review the signatures, and make sure that petitioners are registered to vote in the correct area. Illinois should not be afraid to modernize, especially when the interests of the Illinois citizens are at hand.

Charlotte Coats

Lombard

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