OntheWilderSide

Rich Whitney’s Reaction to Public Policy Polling Results

Green Party governor candidate Rich Whitney was critical of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for his amendatory veto that would partially change the way voters participate in primaries. Whitney’s issue with Quinn was twofold: the technique used and the limited reform it will institute. Quinn used the instrument to amend HB4842. Quinn’s amendment removed the necessity for one to publicly declare party affiliation before voting in the primary.

For Whitney, the reform does not go far enough. He concluded that “I would not support such legislation. The more fundamental question is whether the state has any right to dictate to any political party the process by which it selects it’s candidates. As a free association of individuals, political parties should be permitted to decide for itself how it wishes to choose it’s officers and candidates: whether that is through a primary, a series of caucuses, a vote of dues paying members, a convention or some other process. That’s the real issue. Quinn is trying to address a rotten structure by replacing one floorboard. It’s the whole system that’s the problem.” For Whitney, the governor’s actions run contrary to the purpose of the amendatory veto.  “The way that Quinn went about it was an abuse of his powers as governor” Whitney commented. “The amendatory veto is not supposed to be a device to legislate. Even if some people like the rewrite, this is not the way to do it. This upsets the system of checks and balances in Illinois.”

The biggest issue for Whitney was the scope and nature of the reform itself. While it would allow for one to select their ballot in private, it’s secretive nature would permit people to easily cross parties to possibly influence the primary selection for another party. Whitney elaborated that it “could allow for members of one party to vote en masse in another party’s primary in order to sabotage a particular candidate”.

Rich Whitney is a 55-year-old civil rights and employment lawyer from Carbondale. As a lawyer, he has fought for working people who have lost their jobs or had their rights violated. A founder of the Illinois Green Party, he has long been politically active in support of the labor, health-care reform, environmental, civil rights, and peace movements. In 2006, he served as the Green Party’s first candidate for Governor, winning over 360,000 votes and making it possible for Illinois voters to have a third choice on the ballot statewide.

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