How the Evans replacement process will go down
Kurt Allemeier at the D/A via "The Passing Parade" has a piece which lays out the procedure to be taken in allowing precinct committeemen to vote according to the number of votes cast in their precincts during the primary.
District Central Committee chairs Don Johnston and Mary Boland were faced with a very complex and tricky task and have come up with a plan which to me seems reasonable and fair.
Of course, there exists a chance for a wrench in the works if someone contends that committeemen appointed since the primary should be allowed to vote.
The Illinois Board of Elections received a letter Tuesday from Rep. Evans requesting his name be withdrawn from the November general election ballot. The board of election has declared the seat open.
A meeting for Democratic candidates to fill the nominating ballot is scheduled tentatively for May 13 in Galesburg. A time and place are being arranged, said Don Johnston, co-chairman of the 17th Congressional District Central Committee.
At the May 13 meeting, candidates must be nominated as a replacement to Rep. Evans by an elected committeeman and seconded by an elected committeeman. The candidate must be at the meeting to accept that nomination. All nominated candidates will be given an opportunity to speak to the gathered committeemen at the end of the meeting.
Ballots for the election to select a nominee for the November ballot will be mailed to elected precinct committeemen shortly after the May 13 meeting. Committeemen will have a 10-14 day window to return the ballots, which will be counted by five Democratic county clerks within the congressional district.
Committeemen will cast the number of votes equal to the number of Democratic ballots cast in their precinct in the March primary
posted by The Inside Dope @ 5/03/2006
34 comments
34 Comments:
Who's counting the votes?
Why Mary Boland is!
How stupid is that?
One for Sullivan
One for Hare
One for my husband Mike
Make that two for my husband Mike
What the heck
Let's make it 3
Hare's appointment with a "spoon full of the machine's sugar."
There will be a wrench as you put it. Those appointees will be counted. You can count on it.
"Ballots for the election to select a nominee for the November ballot will be mailed to elected precinct committeemen"
Worst phrasing ever.
Anon 15:34
Point of fact: It's unclear whether Mary Boland will or will not count votes, but if she is, she will be only one of many who does, and the entire process will be openly witnessed by candidates and the press.
An earlier report by John Beydler in a post at "The Passing Parade" said,
"Each committeemen would send a notarized ballot to a central mailing point, where they'd be held until Johnston and committeewoman Mary Bolard,(sic) along with a committee of county clerks would open and count them in the presence of the candidates.
[Johnston] also said he has no objection to the press watching the opening and counting process."
However, the Allemeier article cited in the post above reports:
"Committeemen will have a 10-14 day window to return the ballots, which will be counted by five Democratic county clerks within the congressional district."
So from those two accounts, Mary Boland may or may not be part of the counting process, but either way, there is simply no way for her to tamper with the vote.
To continually suggest so is unwarranted.
Not only will she be only one of several people counting the votes (or not counting them at all), the post by Beydler also reports that the counting will occur in full view of the candidates as well as the press.
Hard to have a problem with that.
Yeah, sure. Easy for you to say!
Nice to see that someone's getting their toddler started at The Inside Dope.
I see the nominating forum as the only real opportunity to pick someone based on merit. That audience will get the chance to hear the few that are nominated first hand one last time and that last shot may have some impact.
The way I see it, there are only three real players in the mix: Hare, Sullivan, and Schwiebert.
I've called a few RICO committeemen and I was shocked to hear the pure lack of knowledge about the process. One thought we were having a new primary and all the voters would vote. Another said he was voting for Jacobs.
I've also heard some thoughts about how they'll vote, some of which were very insightful. One said they can't bring himself to vote for Sullivan because he doesn't even live in the 17th District. Another liked Sullivan but feared how we'd be affected by possible redistricting in 2010. Another said he'd vote for Hare because he was told to by the party. Another said he wouldn't vote for Hare because he'll get torn apart by all the mudlsinging the GOP will start. One had his mind made up to vote for Schwiebert because he really liked the way he sounded in Carlinville (this person has been to more than one forum).
Personally, my mind is made up that I don't want Hare to be chosen. I just don't think he's the strongest choice, and I think he would have a lot more trouble in the general election than the others. I flat out think he will lose to Zinga. We'll see Phil Hare compete for election on his own for the first time. He'll be under the stress of a campaign, we'll see his responses to tough questions in interviews, his performance in debates, and we'll see questions emerge about his roles in campaign finance, his role in this process, his educational background, his status as a "veteran" just to name a few of the most obvious. He'll slip up for sure, and I'm very much afraid he'll show his a$$ or lose his cool. If we had a primary, we could test this theory. Under this process, we're headed down a tunnel with the headlights off and praying there aren't any new curves.
Sullivan and Schwiebert have both been through elections. For Hare, it will be his first time under the spotlight--and I don't think he'll perform as well as others seem to think.
The best (and most under reported) saga that's emerged is that a new primary election WAS possible, but would have had to been completed by 10 May. So silent foot-dragging and outright party-line endorsements of Phil Hare by county clerks, ignored the self-stated goal "to serve you with integrity and to the best of our ability", put personal politics ahead of voters, and prevented a possible primary election.
State Rep. Mike Boland bought pizza for all the Sangamon County Dem precinct committeemen last night! He is working this campaign very, very hard. Please do not count him out.
If Boland actually bought anyone anything it would be a miracle as he is a very cheap politican.
Schweibert is out canpaigning too.
From Capitol Fax
True Observer - Friday, Apr 28, 06 @ 10:23 am:
Evans has not sent in his letter to decline the nomination because his lawyers are probably trying to figure out what the heck to do.
A Circuit Court Judge has adjudged him to be a disabled adult. In the Petition for Appointment of Guardian they said that he was not competent to sign a power of
attorney, otherwise they wouldn’t have needed the guardianship.
Sec. 11a)2. “Disabled person” defined.) “Disabled person” means a person 18 years or older who (a) because of mental deterioration or physical incapacity is not fully able to manage his person or estate, or (b) is a person with mental illness or a person with a developmental disability and who because of his mental illness or developmental disability is not fully able to manage his person or estate
Since he can’t sign, it is likely that his guardian will have to get the Court’s permission to sign it for him since a guardian in Illinois would not normally have the power to do it on
his own.
Note: Under Illinois law, once a person is found to be under legal disability, a vacancy exists in the office. (10 ILCS 5/25-2(3)).
The catch is that only the Governor can declare the vacancy and call a special election for the balance of the term.
The deadline for being able to call a special election is May 10, 2006. The election would probably be around September 5 with a primary 15 days before.
Anon 7:58
"cheap", or responsible with a dollar? Or doesn't spend money like a drunken sailor on leave?
You can spin it either way. The truth is probably somewhere in between, I imagine.
Anon 7:58
"cheap", or responsible with a dollar? Or doesn't spend money like a drunken sailor on leave?
You can spin it either way. The truth is probably somewhere in between, I imagine.
And anon above... I find that explanation from Cap Fax to be a little dubious, but who knows? We don't know if that commenter does either.
Huck Finn's assessment seems quite reasonable, quite accurate. I am an American first and a Republican second.
I do not care who comes out other than to say, anybody but Hare. I believe that any of the lot will beat Zinga, so all I care about is that we have the best Congressman. Hare is status quo - and one look at the District means that the staus quo needs to be avoided at all costs.
I do not agree with Schweibert of Hare on all levels, but I do expect that they will be of economic benefit to the District far beyond what we have realized with Mr. Evans.
Boland's cheap alright....and worse yet he thinks those committeemen are cheap enough to be bought off for a few slices of pizza.
What? As opposed to Jacobs who would buy them off with a $100 steak dinner? What?
My point in bringing up the fact that Rep. Boland is wining and dining Springfield Democrats was not to criticize the State Rep from East Moline. It was merely to say that he continues to work very hard to win the congressional vote.
LOL, Jacobs isn't a candidate. Remember, he took himself out of the running??!!
But maybe Boland ought to give it a try; if the other candidates saw him buy ANYONE a steak dinner, they'd probably drop dead from shock!!! LMAO!!
From my perspective, Jaccobs' method is preferred. Who wants greasy pizza when great steaks are available?
What skin-flint would settle for pizza?
That's right! Ethics are such stupid things.
If you're going to corruptly buy someone off, don't be cheap.
Heck, if you buy 'em a pizza, you might be perceieved as just being friendly.
But if you really spread the dough around, they'll be sure to know that you're clearly trying to buy them off and it will create a bigger sense of obligation to you.
Heck, buy 'em a house or a yacht or something. That way they tend to stay bought. Ask Duke Cunningham.
It's sad to hear that 15:17 can be bought off with a steak dinner. Sort of sad --- really!
It is sad if you heard that from anon 15:17, because that means that you apparently hear or read things that aren't there. Might want to get that checked.
"If your going to but someone off don't be cheap..."
- 22:;29 (aka 14:50/the dope)
You suggested people could be bought off with a steak dinners, not me. If this isn't what you meant, please tell us what you meant by your statement?
Before you respond put down the booze, get yourself together, check your staments and then tell us what you are talking about.
I thought you said Mike Boland was trying to purchase votes with pizza, but steak dinners would work better? I can't wait to hear your response.
Ok, here it is. Your notions of who said what when is making you nuts. Your paranoia and bitterness appears to be rotting your brain and robbing you of humor.
It appears that you have a tin ear for sarcasm and are taking sarcastic comments literally.... or something...
Who was that anonymous commenter and which was supposed to be the dope, and which was me, and where was the third anonymous commenter on the grassy knoll again? I'm getting confused.
I'm not drinking, but your anger and bitterness seems typical of an alcoholic. But that may just be coincidence. Maybe other things have made you that way. Pity.
I'll take your word for it that your dellusional, but I thought you were simply drunk.
I think you made the right move not attempting to explain your prior comments as they seem indefensible!
I like it when people give me their power. Thanks!
Very creepy sounding, but whatever tickles your pickle.
Jeez! What could be more compelling than dueling anonymice? You can't tell the players without a program. And even with a program, you can't tell!
Even with a score card you couldn't follow along Pal!
All I said was that Mike Boland bought pizza for the Sangamon County Dems. And that led to all of those comments. What a sick bunch on this blog!!
We may be sick, but we are not "cheap skates" like your hero Mike Boland!
Rep Boland should invest in new shoes. You can tell a lot about a man by his shoes. I saw him at one of the forums and I suggest his wife get over to JC Penney's as soon as possible.
King's Daughters is more accurate!
MEOW!! Getting a little catty here, aren't we??
I hope you don't measure your leaders soley by their shoes. (no pun intended)
Ghandi probably didn't have the greatest shoes either and he did alright.
It seems that unless someone comes off like some yuppie dandy, you think they're a bad politician. Curious.
At least Ghandi washed his feet!
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