Illinois House votes to move up primary next year

[DemKR]

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The state House voted Wednesday to push the state primary forward next year, from March 18 to Feb. 5, a move openly touted as a way to help favorite son Barack Obama win the Democratic nomination for president.

After virtually no debate, the House voted 110-4 to put the state near the front of the line nationally in choosing next year's presidential nominees. The move — which would affect primaries for all offices and all parties next year — now goes to the Senate, which, like the House, is under Democratic control.

The issue first arose in January, when House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, announced he wanted to put the state's primary as early in the year as possible so the state's voters could support Obama's presidential campaign. With other states moving their primaries forward, Madigan said at that time, the Democratic presidential nomination process "may be finished before it reaches the Illinois primary."

Obama, Illinois' junior U.S. senator, is in a presidential primary election battle with a long roster of other Democrats, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who is an Illinois native. By moving the date of Illinois' primary forward, Madigan said in January, "Illinois will be able to mark up for Barack Obama."

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/067145E6B02558BA862572AD001235C7?OpenDocument

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I am happy that I'm going to get a voice on "national primary day" -- but shouldn't that be all that it's about? It should not be to assist one particular candidate over another.

[Nevernose]

1. My voice will be drowned out.

You may be getting a voice, but those of us in smaller states are about to be completely ignored (half of those states were ignored anyway). In the primaries, little states got the attention; in the general, big states (with not only the most voters, but the most money) got the attention. It's not perfect, but it's something. If we all have primaries on the same day, the little states will be ignored all of the time, as opposed to just most of the time.

We need to get away from this ridiculous electoral college system.

[DemKR]

3. Agreed n/t

[madrchsod]

2. february? that`s stupid

the weather is bad enough in march but it can be a lot worse february. i`m not sure if it`s good for local elections because if there`s bad weather that could really effect the voter turnout which is critical in those elections