Nov 2, 2008 9:41 pm US/Central
Con-Con Ballot Question Could Change Illinois
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and one-time gubernatorial candidate Paul Vallas gathered Nov. 2 to ask voters to say yes to the Constituional convention.
CBS
The presidential election is grabbing all the political attention these days, but here in Illinois, some say an item on our ballot has more potential to transform our state for years to come.
It's the referendum on whether to hold a Constitutional convention. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli explains why some want you to vote for it an others want you to vote against it.
In a downtown hotel room, Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and one-time gubernatorial candidate Paul Vallas gathered to ask voters to say yes to the so called "Con-Con."
"It's a once in a generation opportunity for the people of Illinois to breathe fresh air into our government," Quinn said.
Quinn says voters can do that by supporting a Constitutional convention in springfield that would rewrite parts of a document ratified in 1970.
"I mean we're entering the 21st century with a 20th century document. I think it's time to update that document," Vallas said.
Supporters say it could help reform school funding formulas and the way campaigns are financed. It could also lead to new ethics laws and possibly rein in the power of lawmakers that many voters believe have failed to lead causing some of the worst gridlock in the history of state government.
But opponents like former governor Jim Edgar say the Con-Con is a con that will waste taxpayers $80 million. Some say it drops the gloves on fights over gay marriage, abortion and other hot button issues.
Dawn Clark Netsch, Northwestern University Law professor emeritus, was a delegate to the last convention that wrote the constitution we now use. She understands that some people view the vote as a way to throw the proverbial bums out of office. But she says recall laws can cause politicians to shy away from making tough decisions that might not be popular in the short term.
"It tends to make cowards out of them," she said. "They are more likely to say why should I stick my neck out and take an unpopular position even though they know it's the right position because I may get recall petitions against me," Netsch said.
If voters approve the Constitutional convention on Tuesday, delegates will be selected in 2009 and the convention itself will be held in 2010.
The last time the Constitutional convention question was on the ballot, it failed.
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