From Adam Andrzejewski…
Today, Adam Andrzejewski, founder of good government organization For the Good of Illinois and former Republican Gubernatorial candidate, called for the Illinois Republican Party to reform itself in the name of good government. “In the election of the Republican State Central Committee, County Chairman are allowed to vote vacant precincts. This allows them to benefit from vacancies, and creates a strong disincentive to build our party. If county chairman can cast the votes of the empty precincts- why do the hard work of filling them?”, Andrzejewski stated.
“While running for Governor, my campaign took the time to identify and help hundreds of new people run for precinct committeemen. Allowing County bosses to vote vacant precincts dilutes the vote of committeemen who actually do the heavy lifting of electing Republicans,” Andrzejewski continued, “Let’s welcome our new committeemen, respect our existing ones.”
Considerable discussion is occurring regarding the practice of “Vacant Precinct Voting” by County Chairpersons for the office of State Central Committeepersons. The Illinois Election Code at 10 ILCS5/7-8(a) does not address the ability of a county chairperson to vote vacant precincts directly; however, the Statute does simply state as follows: “Each elected ward, township or precinct committeeman shall cast as his vote one vote for each ballot voted in his ward, township, part of a township or precinct in the last preceding primary election of his political party.” The Statute allows that only elected precinct committeepersons can vote. Appointed precinct committeepersons are not included nor can a chairperson vote those empty precincts as his/her own.
According to Judge Don Lowery, former Republican candidate for United States Senate and a 26 year veteran judge of the Illinois Circuit Court, “For a county chairperson to vote vacant precincts as his/her own vote, apparently in contravention to the applicable law, would bring into legal question the validity of the election of a State Central Committeeperson elected with those invalid votes.”
“What we need today, in advance of the March 3rd Republican Party conventions, is a ruling by Chairman Pat Brady and the Illinois Republican Party that voting the vacant precincts will no longer be permitted.” Andrzejewski continued, “It violates the American value of one man, one vote by diluting the real votes of actual duly elected committeemen in favor of presumed votes by people without duly elected representatives. I call on every Republican Party elected official and activist to join me in support of ending this wrongheaded practice. Please contact me if you agree with an e-mail to adam@adamforillinois.com with ‘No vote on vacant precincts’ in the subject line and your name and title/town in the body.”
It is incumbent on the Illinois Republican Party to follow the law in this matter. The Party’s failure to do so may be one of the primary reasons Senate Bill 600 is being strongly supported.