INTERNET VOTERS’ GUIDE PROVIDES EASY ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

CHICAGO – The 2006 Illinois Voters’ Guide, a new online resource (www.illinoisvotersguide.org), gives Illinois voters instant access to information about candidates for judicial office in Illinois.

“After every election, a large number of voters wish they had more information about judicial candidates before they entered the polling place,” said Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR). “This new voters’ guide can take some of the confusion out of Election Day and allow voters a chance to learn more about the candidates for important judgeships.”

“Although some judicial campaigns have become expensive, high profile contests replete with television commercials and phone banks, many others gain little attention,” she said. “But whether the campaigns are well financed or are run on a shoestring, voters want to know the background of the men and women trying to be elected to the bench.”

All judicial candidates were invited to participate in the guide and were asked to provide biographical information and to answer questions about the judicial system. Answers were published in the voters’ guide as they were submitted by the candidates and without editing. The guide provides links to evaluations by bar associations and tells voters how to contact the candidates for additional information.

The voters’ guide also provides background on the Illinois court system and links to web sites with more information about the candidates, the judiciary and Illinois elections.

ICPR created similar voters’ guides in the 2002 and 2004 elections. All three guides were produced in cooperation with Justice at Stake, a national non-partisan partnership that works to protect fair, impartial and independent courts. Justice at Stake also will sponsor broadcast public service announcements to make Illinois voters more aware of the online voters’ guide.

ICPR is a non-partisan public interest group that conducts research and advocates reforms to promote public participation in government, address the role of money in politics and encourage integrity, accountability, and transparency in government. More information and a link to the 2006 Illinois Voters’ Guide is available at www.ilcampaign.org.

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