Letter: End requirement to declare party in primary

 
Posted10/2/2022 1:00 AM

I am an independent voter who in the past, and even now, has been forced to declare a party in order to be able to exercise my voting rights in Illinois' primary elections. I did not ask for it nor do I like it, as I get bombarded by literature from a party I probably won't be voting for as a complete slate when the general election comes around.

In early September, I received a letter from the Kane County clerk with an application for permanent vote by mail status, which I would like to do but am unable to for the reasons stated below.

 

The options given to me force me to either declare a party affiliation, which I won't do, vote in person at a polling place, which is difficult due to health concerns, or skip voting in the primaries altogether.

I do not know exactly how many independent voters are in our state or how many other states have this nonsensical rule in place as they wonder why voter turnouts are so low. The above is the problem.

I am more than willing to vote for our governing bodies, but I believe I am being discriminated against because of my independent beliefs.

It is time our legislators did something to correct this long standing archaic issue.

Alan A. Cukla Carpentersville

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