New legislation recently approved could give voters in Will County cumulative voting rights in the election of county board members. The decision rests with the county board, but if approved, voters in counties with multi-member districts such as Will could have the ability to give all of their votes to one candidate instead of voting for a different candidate with each vote.

The legislation, signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich on July 23, also gives county boards the authority by ordinance or referenda to determine how many board members should be elected and whether board members should be elected from single-member or multi-member districts or at large.

The legislation includes a provision that allows voters to initiate the advisory referendum via a petition containing the signatures of at least eight percent of the number of registered county voters who voted in the last gubernatorial election. The final decision on switching the voting system, however, rests with the county board.

"I think it means more power to voters," said Dan Johnson-Weinberger, director of the Midwest Democracy Center. "I think it means that advisory questions are great, and now voters have more power to decide how they want their county board to be elected. It should really be up to you (the voter) to decide how to give your votes."

Richard Brandolino, the Will County Board's majority leader from District 2, declined to say whether he thinks voters should have cumulative voting rights, but he believes some will petition to get the issue on the ballot. There are seven Democrats on the 27-member Will County Board. The board has nine three-member districts.

"I think that, generally speaking, people on the board are well received by the people in the nine districts," he said. "If they weren't, I think there would be a different approach."

State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) introduced the legislation in response to both his own and constituents' concerns about the McHenry County Board. Franks said his interest in how the board operated piqued when members voted themselves an 85 percent pay increase at a time when services and budgets were being cut. He also was concerned that the board has more members than the boards of larger counties such as Cook, Kane and Lake.

McHenry County has six four-member districts that include small agrarian towns and large, affluent areas.

"It just didn't seem right to me," Franks said. "I'm really trying (with this legislation) to give the voters a real say in how the county board is run."

Sen. Larry Walsh (D-Joliet), a senate sponsor of the bill and former Will County Democratic chairman, said the new legislation is not binding and simply gives county boards an opportunity to change should members so desire.

"This is strictly a permissive piece of legislation," he said. "If (board members) so desired, they could just throw the opportunity right in the wastebasket and stay exactly the way they are. There is no direction there as to must-do action."

Jim Moustis, the county board's executive committee chairman, doesn't see a need to change the way county board members are elected and is against the idea of cumulative voting rights.

Despite the fact that the Will County Board includes only seven Democrats among its 27 members, Moustis, a Republican from District 2, said he doesn't believe partisan politics are much of an issue.

"The way it is currently structured serves the citizens of Will County fairly well. I think everybody's interest is represented," he said.

Minority Leader Margie Woods, who represents District 8, agrees. She isn't sure voters want cumulative voting rights and believes it could reduce citizen participation. Woods said the county board will have to study the issue before coming to a decision.

"You all work together and you try to do what's best for the county," she said. "If it's a good idea, it should be explored (regardless of party affiliation)."

Until the law was changed in 1980, cumulative voting rights were used in state House elections to ensure there would be one minority member in each district to represent voter interests in Springfield.

"Many people believed that was a good form of representation," said Walsh, who isn't sure if the Will County Board should change the way its members are elected.

Though it is too early to tell what the impact on county board government will be, Johnson-Weinberger believes the new legislation is a step in the right direction of giving voters more control.

"I think from now on whenever anyone talks about reform of the county board, cumulative voting rights will be part of the discussion," he said. "I think the county board has more authority to determine how the county board will run its own elections, and I think voters have more authority to initiate that debate."