Chicago-area mayor guilty in red light camera bribery scheme

By Dylan Sharkey

05/23/2022

Oakbrook Terrace’s former mayor pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges related to red light cameras and faces up to five years in prison. The state recently shut off the cameras.

TAGS: corruption, Oakbrook Terrace, red light cameras

Madigan joked about ComEd bribes while in office

By Dylan Sharkey

05/23/2022

FBI recordings revealed new details about indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his scheme to exchange political favors for patronage appointments. He made a joke out of it.

TAGS: corruption, Mike Madigan

Primary voting begins in Illinois: Here are how-tos, FAQs

By Dylan Sharkey

05/19/2022

May 19 was the start of voting for the June 28 primary for early in-person voting and for those who’ve requested mail-in ballots.

TAGS: early voting, Election Day, primary, vote-by-mail

Illinois voters got just 1 proposed constitutional amendment on ballot in 52 years

By Joe Tabor

05/19/2022

During the past decade, state lawmakers have asked to change the Illinois Constitution six times while voters have failed to get any changes on the ballot. In 52 years, Illinoisans have only gotten one amendment question before voters. That needs to change.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Constitution

Want to fix Illinois’ voter suppression? Then give voters choices.

By Brad Weisenstein

05/16/2022

Voter suppression is an art in Illinois, where decades of rules to give incumbents or favored-party candidates an easy ride to reelection deny voters choices in about half of Illinois House races. Illinois Policy is trying to change that by increasing the choices that bring out voters.

TAGS: elections, Illinois, voter suppression

2022 Illinois elections to be the most competitive in over 24 years

By Bryce Hill, Jon Josko, Dom Moran

05/11/2022

With 82 statehouse races expected to be contested – the most in at least 24 years – the number of ballots cast could reach 4.3 million. That would be the highest non-presidential year figure in recent history.

TAGS: ballot, elections, gerrymandering, Illinois

Pritzker has governed using emergency powers for more than 65% of his term

By Dylan Sharkey

05/11/2022

Illinois has no mask mandate or requirements for showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination. So why is Gov. J.B. Pritzker still declaring a state of emergency and holding onto those powers?

TAGS: emergency powers, JB Pritzker

Illinois voter suppression rampant thanks to few ballot choices

By Ann Miller, Patrick Andriesen

05/11/2022

Progressive voices decry voter suppression in states such as Texas, but the very blue state of Illinois is guilty of rampant voter suppression using a system of maps and rules that defeat many challengers before they ever get on the ballot. A new effort is working to change that.

TAGS: ballot, gerrymandering, Illinois, legislative map, voter suppression

Illinois House to probe Pritzker failure to stop 36 veterans’ home deaths

By Dylan Sharkey

05/09/2022

The Pritzker Administration failed to respond despite 11 days of reports about a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, resulting in 36 deaths, according to a state audit. Now Illinois House members plan to probe the failings.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois Auditor General, Illinois Veterans' Home at LaSalle, JB Pritzker

Illinois is No. 1 in government units, keeping property taxes sky high

By Dylan Sharkey

04/29/2022

Illinois has 6,032 local governments, the most in the nation by a wide margin – and that excludes 859 school districts. It’s the main reason Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest property taxes.

TAGS: Citizens Empowerment Act, Illinois, local government consolidation