And now for some good news:
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) intends to sign legislation supported by both chambers of the Illinois legislature that will automatically register people to vote when they interact with state drivers’ facilities and other state agencies.
The decision to sign the legislation marks a big victory for voting rights advocates. Rauner vetoed a similar measure last year. At the time, he said the legislation would “inadvertently open the door to voter fraud and run afoul of federal election law.”
But a few changes were apparently enough to convince Rauner to sign on to automatic voter registration, which has already led to considerable gains in the number of registered voters in Oregon, the first state to implement it last year. Illinois would be the ninth state to adopt automatic voter registration, and advocates estimate it could add over 1 million voters to the state’s rolls.
“We must protect the sanctity of our election process, and we thank the bill sponsors and stakeholders who worked with us on this piece of legislation. The Governor will sign it,” Eleni Demertzis, a Rauner spokeswoman wrote in an email.
The measure passed the Illinois House 115-0 on Monday and will head to the state Senate for consideration of the bill with the changes. The Senate previously passed a version of it 48-0.
The new measure requires voters to affirm they are eligible to vote and gives them the option to opt out.
Of course while this is a big win for the voters, Rauner needs to look like he has a win under his belt because right now, thing aren’t looking good for him:
As Illinois approached 700 days without a budget and a midnight deadline for the current legislative session looms in just over a day, protesters from social services agencies staged a protest outside the state capitol in Springfield and then a sit-in outside Governor Bruce Rauner's office.
Protesters were dragged away during the demonstration as supporters from agencies hit hard without a budget for the past two years tried to get inside the capitol to have their voices heard.
A line of police officers are protecting the governor's office as the demonstrators participating in the sit-in chained themselves together with plastic ties.
Earlier in the day, dozens of protesters from a coalition of Chicago area social services agencies demanded to get inside the Illinois capitol.
"So they are acting like this is actually a complicated thing, but in reality if they had the courage to close corporate tax loopholes and make the every wealthy pay their fair share of taxes we could raise the revenue we need for our state," said Kristi Sanford, Fair Economy Illinois.
And it’s Rauner who’s to blame:
Since he came into office, Democrats have accused Rauner of an ideological campaign to bust unions and hurt working people. Now, they say, the state’s fiscal stalemate and its consequences can’t help but hurt him with voters.
"He's held the state's budget hostage for two years," said Doug House, chairman of the Rock Island County Democrats and leader of the Illinois County Democratic Chairmen's Association.
With 18 months to go before next year's election, it's hard to tell what the political climate will be like, nationally and statewide. Christopher Mooney, director of the institute of government and public affairs at the University of Illinois, said even if a deal is reached, its elements will be important. And to make a dent in the state's debt, it will require sacrifice. “It’s not as if they get a deal and it’s happy days are here again. That’s when the pain is going to really start," he said.
Senate Democrats passed a budget package Tuesday that raises income taxes and expands the sales tax. They argued the state couldn't wait any longer, and there needed to be some certainty brought to the state's fiscal situation. Moody's Investors Service warned in March if the state can't get a budget by the scheduled adjournment date of May 31, its already weak credit rating would suffer further.
Rauner has argued that any deal with new revenue had to include a measure to curb property tax increases. He and Democrats couldn't come together on the issue, and after the vote the Republicans unleashed robocalls criticizing Democrats.
It remains to be see who will be the Democratic nominee to take on Rauner but he’s certainly a top target for us. Two of the top Democratic candidates are campaigning in different styles.
J.B. Pritzker (D. IL) is keeping up with the narrative that Rauner is to blame for the budget:
Democrat J.B. Pritzker said he believes the only way to resolve the budget standoff in Springfield is to get Governor Bruce Rauner out of office. He said the republican incumbent does not seem to really want a budget.
“Of course, to break the stalemate we need to defeat Governor Rauner,” Pritzker said. “Right now, he seems to be holding up this right wing agenda and saying I won’t give you a budget, unless you give me my right wing agenda, which has nothing to do with that budget. So, at the moment, it is hard to tell what it is that this Governor will do next.”
Pritzker said the Governor apparently does not really want a budget since he opposes even legislation that includes things he favors.
While Chris Kennedy (D. IL) is trying to run as the party’s outsider and reformer:
In a rousing, 40-minute Bronzeville speech, Kennedy called Democratic opponent J.B. Pritzker the poster boy for property tax shenanigans. He said the assessment reduction billionaire Pritzker wrangled on an empty home that he bought next door to his Gold Coast mansion could only happen in Illinois.
That is where, he said, “a billionaire can have a million dollar mansion reclassified as dilapidated in the most expensive block, in the most expensive street, in the most expensive neighborhood, in one of the most expensive cities in the world.”
“All he needed was the right lawyers to avoid paying his fair share,” Kennedy said.
Without naming him, Kennedy also took aim at Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, who is also Cook County Democratic chairman.
“We need to put a ban on property tax lawyers making contributions to local assessors,” Kennedy said.
It remains to be seen who’s narrative will pay off. Stay tuned.