Group wants return to 'cumulative voting'A bipartisan task force is ready to turn back the clock on the way the state's voters elect members of the Illinois House.
The Illinois Assembly on Political Representation and Alternative Electoral Systems, led by former Gov. Jim Edgar and former federal Judge Abner Mikva, wants to bring back "cumulative voting."
That was the decades-old system in use through 1980 that gave people multiple votes they could use for a single candidate or spread out among several to elect three representatives for each legislative district.
The system - used at a time when it was the only one of its kind in the nation - was dropped in favor of a winner-take all approach in 1980 when voters also cut the number of House members by one-third.
Supporters of the return to cumulative voting argue it would increase voter interest in elections and give everybody a voice in Springfield.
"Because winner-take-all electoral systems produce a single representative from each district, members of the minority party are often left without representation," said their report, released Monday.
As recently as 2000, half the races for the House were uncontested.
The task force was put together last year by the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs in Urbana, and the Joyce Foundation, which provided funding.
Political activist Patrick Quinn, who led the fight to end cumulative voting, participated in the study and continues to oppose the system, suggesting it would foster more voter confusion and spoiled ballots.
The Illinois Assembly on Political Representation and Alternative Electoral Systems, led by former Gov. Jim Edgar and former federal Judge Abner Mikva, wants to bring back "cumulative voting."
That was the decades-old system in use through 1980 that gave people multiple votes they could use for a single candidate or spread out among several to elect three representatives for each legislative district.
The system - used at a time when it was the only one of its kind in the nation - was dropped in favor of a winner-take all approach in 1980 when voters also cut the number of House members by one-third.
Supporters of the return to cumulative voting argue it would increase voter interest in elections and give everybody a voice in Springfield.
"Because winner-take-all electoral systems produce a single representative from each district, members of the minority party are often left without representation," said their report, released Monday.
As recently as 2000, half the races for the House were uncontested.
The task force was put together last year by the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs in Urbana, and the Joyce Foundation, which provided funding.
Political activist Patrick Quinn, who led the fight to end cumulative voting, participated in the study and continues to oppose the system, suggesting it would foster more voter confusion and spoiled ballots.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.