Most Illinois Legislative Candidates File Electronically

117th District Republican is Only Exception in Hotly-Contested Races

Chicago, IL .-- Jack Woolard, the Republican candidate in the hotly contested 117th House district in far southern Illinois was the only legislative candidate in a targeted district who opted not to file any of his required pre-election campaign finance reports electronically, according to a review of campaign finance records by the Sunshine Project and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

Thirty-five of the thirty-six candidates in the most strongly contested house races filed their required pre-election reports electronically. Thirty-one also filed required reports of large contributions received in the last 30 days before the election.

All twelve of the candidates in the six most strongly contested state senate races filed all of their required pre-election reports electronically.

Reports that are filed electronically are immediately posted on the State Board of Elections Website and are accessible to the public. Reports filed on paper can only be inspected in person or copies can be requested by mail.

"The degree of acceptance among candidate for electronic filing has been tremendous," said Kent Redfield, Director of the Sunshine Project. "If campaign disclosure is going to work, voters have to have complete and timely access to information about who is funding candidates. The system developed by the State Board of elections provides that access."

A 1998 law, the Illinois Campaign Finance and Ethics Act, required candidates who raise or spend over $25,000 to file all of their campaign disclosure forms electronically. In September Will County Judge Thomas Ewert issued a decision that struck down the entire 1998 Campaign Finance and Ethics Act, including its mandatory electronic filing provisions. However, candidates still had the option of filing reports electronically. Legislative leaders, civic groups and the news media have encouraged state lawmakers to voluntarily continue to abide by the law while it is under appeal.

"Most lawmakers did the right thing and shared their campaign finance records with voters in a timely and accessible manner while this legal matter is being resolved." Said Cindi Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

The case of the 117th District House race underscores the need for mandatory electronic filing. The Democratic candidate, Gary Forby, has filed his reports electronically. Voters can look at his reports by logging on to the State Board of Elections website. He has raised $512,000 since July 1, of which $349,000 came from the State Democratic Party, which is chaired by House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Voters wanting to inspect the paper reports filed by the Republican candidate, Jack Woolard, have to go to a State Board of Elections office in Springfield or Chicago. He has raised $315,000 since July 1, of which more that $254,000 came from House Minority Leader Lee Daniels.

"Candidates in contested races may be reluctant to file if they feel it will put them at a strategic disadvantage to an opponent who is filing on paper, "said Redfield. "The only way to insure a level playing field and maximum public access is to require every candidate to file electronically."

"Re-enacting mandatory electronic filing must be the first priority of the new legislature if the State Supreme Court does not reinstate these provisions of the 1998 law," said Canary. "Complete and timely access to campaign reports is the foundation of any system of regulating campaign finance.

TARGETED HOUSE RACES

No Reports Electronically Filed:
Woolard, Jack, 117th House District, open seat, Republican

Electronic pre-election reports/ Paper A-1 reports
Bekta, 37th House District, challenger, Republican
Robert Ryan, 79th House District, open seat, Democrat
Scully, 80th House District, Incumbent, Democrat
Gregg, 118th House District, challenger, Republican

REMAINING HOUSE RACES
Paper pre-election and A-1 reports
Delgado, 3rd House District, incumbent, Democrat
Jones, S, 6th House District, incumbent, Democrat
Kenner, 25th House District, incumbent, Democrat
Morrow, 26th House District, incumbent, Democrat
Howard, 32nd House District, incumbent, Democrat
Smith, 91st House District, incumbent, Democrat

Electronic A-1 Reports/Paper pre-election Reports
Johnson, 50th House District, incumbent, Republican

Electronic pre-election Report/Paper A-1 reports
Jones, L, 5th House District, incumbent, Democrat Osterman, 17th House District, incumbent, Democrat
McKeon, 34th House District, incumbent, Democrat
Wojcik, 45th House District, incumbent, Republican
Moore, 61st House District, incumbent, Republican
Hoeft, 66th House District, incumbent, Republican
Winters, 69th House District, incumbent, Republican
O'Brien, 75th House District, incumbent, Democrat
McGuire, 86th House District, incumbent, Democrat

SENATE RACES
Paper pre-election and paper A-1 reports
Del Valle 2nd Senatorial District, incumbent, Democrat
Trotter, 16th Senatorial District, incumbent, Democrat

Electronic pre-election report, but paper A-1 reports
Hendon, 5th Senate District, incumbent, Democrat
Klemm, 32nd Senate District, incumbent, Republican

Note: not all candidates received over $25,000 before the pre-election report deadline.

Copyright ©2002 by The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. All rights reserved.