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TechnographPotential Illinois constitution convention to be decided by voters
Possible alterations would mark first change in 40 years
By Crystal Kang
Posted: 10/3/08 Section: News
Illinois voters will be asked to support or oppose the assembly of delegates in a potential state constitutional convention at the polls in November.
Proponents of the constitutional convention are hoping the legislatures will discuss and change two issues: the recalling of elected officials and legislative term limits.
"What's striking is that recall and term limits are both overwhelmingly popular topics within both political parties," said Brian Gaines, political science associate professor and a member of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.
Gaines said that even if there was a convention, there's no guarantee that these two items will be written into the Illinois constitution. The delegates are going to decide which issues to discuss. He added that most Illinois voters do not read that far down the ballot because they aren't used to voting on serious referenda.
"We don't often get state-wide ballot initiatives (in Illinois)," Gaines said. "At recent (Urbana city) elections, there were symbolic votes on whether to pull troops out of Iraq. Whether you voted yes or no was meaningless because the county and town don't make those decisions."
This presents a problem because three-fifths or the majority of voters must vote "yes" to hold a convention.
The last time Illinois held a convention was in the 1970s. Its goals were to revise many of the archaic details and replace outdated laws with more current ones.
"I worry that the constitutional convention could do more harm than good," said Jim Nowlan, a senior fellow at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. "Some of the proponents of the convention are calling for (specific) caps on taxation and spending, which aren't good policies to have in the constitution. In 2009, you can't know whether the policy should be changed a decade or two decades from now."
According to the constitution, the proposal to hold a constitutional convention must appear on the ballot every 20 years. There have been 10 amendments to the state constitution since 1970.
Proponents of the constitutional convention are hoping the legislatures will discuss and change two issues: the recalling of elected officials and legislative term limits.
"What's striking is that recall and term limits are both overwhelmingly popular topics within both political parties," said Brian Gaines, political science associate professor and a member of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.
Gaines said that even if there was a convention, there's no guarantee that these two items will be written into the Illinois constitution. The delegates are going to decide which issues to discuss. He added that most Illinois voters do not read that far down the ballot because they aren't used to voting on serious referenda.
"We don't often get state-wide ballot initiatives (in Illinois)," Gaines said. "At recent (Urbana city) elections, there were symbolic votes on whether to pull troops out of Iraq. Whether you voted yes or no was meaningless because the county and town don't make those decisions."
This presents a problem because three-fifths or the majority of voters must vote "yes" to hold a convention.
The last time Illinois held a convention was in the 1970s. Its goals were to revise many of the archaic details and replace outdated laws with more current ones.
"I worry that the constitutional convention could do more harm than good," said Jim Nowlan, a senior fellow at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. "Some of the proponents of the convention are calling for (specific) caps on taxation and spending, which aren't good policies to have in the constitution. In 2009, you can't know whether the policy should be changed a decade or two decades from now."
According to the constitution, the proposal to hold a constitutional convention must appear on the ballot every 20 years. There have been 10 amendments to the state constitution since 1970.
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