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Group Calls for Fees, Not Signatures for Ballot Placement
(IRN)-A group that advocates for ballot access says fees, not signatures, should be enough to get a candidate on an election ballot.

The group Free and Equal is seeking legislative support for a proposal that would allow a person to run for office if they pay a fee of 1 percent of what the office they are seeking pays. Free and Equal president Christina Tobin says roughly two-thirds of states have ditched collecting signatures in exchange for a filing fee.

Tobin's group is also pushing to lower the percentage of votes needed to be declared an established political party. According to the Illinois Election Code, political parties that get 5 percent of the vote in a statewide election are considered "established" parties, meaning they can hold primaries, and the signature requirement to place candidates on the ballot is significantly reduced. Tobin wants to see that changed to 2 percent.

Tobin says she has gotten support from some former candidates, including Adam Andrzejewski, who lost in the Republican primary for governor this year.

(Source: Illinois Radio Network)
12 13 10 by Newsroom
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