Let's recap what recent campaign reforms have brought us:
- In 2007, the politicians in the Illinois General Assembly moved the Illinois primary to February in order to help one of it's own (Barack Obama) in the Presidential Primary. No coincidentally, the move had the added benefit of making any challenges to their own incumbency more difficult.
- In 2009, the same politicians in Springfield increased (almost doubling) the number of required signatures to petition onto the ballot - making it even more difficult for anyone to challenge their incumbency.
- This fall, during veto session, they passed a law requiring candidates that are slated onto the ballot to fill a vacancy (and thereby provide choice to voters) to collect signatures equal to the number required if they had run in the primary. In addition, they established a new and separate challenge period for those petitions as well.
- And don't forget, they also passed campaign finance reform that limits the amount of financial support citizens can give their candidates, while exempting Mike Madigan, John Cullerton, Christine Radogno, and Tom Cross from those same contribution limits. The ultimate in incumbency protection.
