By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Once again, Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly are calling ‘shenanigans.”

This time it’s over the scope – and speed – of an elections bill which went from Zero to signed-by-the-governor in about a day and a half. Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) said Illinoisans’ cynicism is warranted:

“Senate Bill 2412 is how you steal an election,” he said on the Senate floor.

The bill takes effect mid-election cycle, ends the ability of a party to slate a candidate onto a vacant ballot post-primary, discourages citizen-initiated constitutional amendments, and crowds the ballot with the maximum three amendments, ones which Republicans deem un-serious.

“If you, as a legislator, need to be told by the citizens of this taste that they want to lower property taxes,” said State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), “you’re an idiot, and you probably shouldn’t even be here.”

Another facet of the bill is to take away the ability of a political party to pick a candidate for a legislative election after not participating in the primary for the same race.

Presenting the bill in the Senate, President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) argued that if the bill inconveniences anybody, it inconveniences everybody in both parties.

The GOP did not buy that argument. Republicans in both chambers voted Present, as opposed to No.

“If we would have voted No, you wouldn’t even be listening to us right now,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) at a hastily-called news conference at the Capitol’s Grand Staircase. “This was a united Present protest vote, and here we are talking about it.”

In other words, the Republicans put on a publicity stunt that worked.

SB 2412 passed the House, 67-4-40, and the Senate, 35-3-18, and has already been signed by the governor.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].