Illinois` newest statewide political party also may be its shortest-lived.
When the General Assembly returns to the Capitol on Tuesday for the last week of its fall session, efforts are expected to be made to abolish the Illinois Solidarity Party, which Democrat-turned-third-pa rty-candidate Adlai Stevenson used to garner 1,256,725 votes in the Nov. 4 gubernatorial election. The party, which Stevenson planned to disband after the election, became an established political party by winning more than 5 percent of the gubernatorial vote. The distinction could allow the party to hold primary elections, nominate candidates for some statewide boards and commissions and generally wreak havoc with statutes controlling state government.
That never was the intent of Stevenson or Illinois Democrats, who believe the party must be dismantled as soon as possible so it cannot be used to disrupt mayoral elections early next year.
”The opportunities are there for someone to try to take control of the Solidarity Party and to complicate all the municipal elections, including Chicago`s,” said Sen. Vince Demuzio (D., Carlinville), the state Democratic chairman, who is sponsoring legislation to merge the party with the regular Democratic Party.
”It served its purpose, and there is no reason for it to continue,” he said.
Apparently, the Solidarity Party is the first in the state`s modern political history to challenge the Republicans and Democrats for established party status, said Ron Michaelson, executive director of the Illinois Board of Elections.
And, he said, there does not appear to be any means outside the legislature to dissolve it, even by Stevenson and its other leaders.
”There seems to be nothing in the code to allow Adlai to say, `I wish the party would just go away,` ” he said.
Demuzio said his bill would merge the Solidarity and Democratic Parties rather than just abolishing the new party, partly to avoid lawsuits over the matter.
”Some people who signed petitions for Adlai and the Solidarity Party may feel they have a right to some segment of the party,” he said. ”This way is much easier because it will preserve the essential elements of the party.”
By receiving at least 5 percent of the vote in the election, the rudderless Solidarity Party is entitled to the statutory benefits
traditionally reserved in the state for the Republican and Democratic Parties. For example, because the Solidarity Party can participate in the primary, potential candidates could run for precinct and state central committeeman, giving them the opportunity to cement a party apparatus, Michaelson said.
Potential Solidarity Party candidates also would benefit from the established party status because they would need far fewer signatures on their nominating petitions–only 10,000 signatures for a statewide campaign, compared with the 25,000 signatures required for third-party candidates.
There also is a problem with ballot rotation in precincts throughout the state. Although placement on the ballot is determined by lot among the established parties, it is done on a two-tier system with the established parties guaranteed higher–and arguably better–ballot positions.
The new party also would be able to appoint election judges in individual precincts.
But closer to home for Michaelson is the appointment of members of the state elections board, now split between Republicans and Democrats.
Nominations to the board are made by the governor and the highest-ranking constitutional official of the party that received the second highest vote in the election, which currently is the Solidarity Party.
”They have no officeholders, so the governor would make all the appointments,” Michaelson said. ”There may be other boards and commissions that have appointing problems–I don`t know–but we sure do.”
The Democratic Party ticket received 208,841 votes in the election with
”no candidate” running for governor and Mark Fairchild, a supporter of extremist Lyndon LaRouche, running for lieutenant governor. The Republican Party, with Gov. James Thompson winning a historic fourth term, polled 1,655,945 votes, or 52.6 percent of the vote, according to official elections board figures.
Michaelson said he doubts the elections board will take a position on the matter because it is a ”partisan issue,” said that if the Solidarity Party ceases to exist, ”it would make life a lot easier for us and for everybody else.”
