Illinois House Passes Bipartisan Measure Protecting Voters

Wisconsin blocks the vote, right
as Illinois protects the vote

Illinois Vote to Ban Voter Suppression

As Wisconsin's Scott Walker and the GOP enacted a host of anti-voter measures, Illinois' state House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution to ban voter suppression.

The proposed constitutional measure easily passed the House, 109-5 in a roll call vote, (McKinney. Sun Times), needing three-fifths (71 votes) of the vote to pass. "The intent of this constitutional amendment is to provide in Illinois, constitutionally, that voter-suppression laws would not be permitted," said State Rep. Michael Madigan, (D-Chicago).

The amendment "(p)roposes to amend the Suffrage and Elections Article of the Constitution. Provides that no person shall be denied the right to register to vote or to cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, sex, sexual orientation, or income."

The measure now goes to the Illinois Senate where it is also expected to pass, facing no organized opposition.

In voting rights, Illinois is light years ahead of Wisconsin, where the Republican Party is organized to use every tool at its disposal to obstruct any voter not voting Republican, with only one dissenting GOP legislator, Sen. Dale Schultze (R-Richland Center).

The final step to becoming an Illinois Constitutional amendment is the referendum question facing the people of Illinois on Nov. 4, an expected heavy turn-out affair, featuring the Illinois gubernatorial election.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin which became the latest state to restrict voter access, state Republican Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) condemned his own Republican party for trying to suppress the vote: "I’m a guy who understands and appreciates what we should be doing in order to make sure every vote counts, every vote is legitimate. But that fact is, it ought to be abundantly clear to everybody in this state that there is no massive voter fraud. The only thing that we do have in this state is we have long lines of people who want to vote. And it seems to me that we should be doing everything we can to make it easier, to help these people get their votes counted." (Sheapeard. Care 2)

Wisconsin could sure use a Constitutional amendment protecting our voters against Republicans such as HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION, CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 52.