* Email to Illinois House Democrats…
Good afternoon, members –
Please be advised that the session days scheduled for next week will be cancelled; however, as I indicated in my communication earlier this week, the session schedule is “in flux,” and members should be prepared to return to Springfield to address urgent matters. Regarding the committee deadline for House bills, which was set for March 27, that will be extended to April 3; this and other deadlines will be reviewed and extended when needed moving forward.
Generally, members should be re-evaluating any and all travel plans, including those made for the weeks of April 5 and April 12 (the legislative spring break). This is not only due to the need to practice social distancing to safeguard the health of our communities, but also due to the possible need to return to Springfield for session during that time period.
Furthermore, we are planning to have a conference call for all caucus members. We’re planning for tomorrow, but still finalizing the details – more info on this will be sent to members as soon as possible. The agenda will include a status update on the progress of various working groups.
Take care and be well,
Jessica
Jessica Basham, Chief of Staff
Office of the Speaker
*** UPDATE *** The Senate has also canceled next week.
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* Team coverage at the Sun-Times…
Chicagoans braced for the threat of coronavirus and plenty of mishaps at polling places to vote in the 2020 primary election — an election with at least two tight races that could be affected by what could be more than a quarter of a million ballots yet to be counted.
Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen late Tuesday said 200,000 early voting ballots had yet to be counted, and a “potential universe” of another 70,000 mail-in ballots could arrive to be counted in the next two weeks.
“We’re going to be counting for another two weeks, easily,” Allen said.
Allen explained that the city’s election board normally shuts down early voting the Monday before Election Day. It gathers all the memory chips from machines to be able to report out all early voting data, like “one big happy family of data.”
“This time we had early voting open on Election Day and serving as precinct [polling places], so now those precincts are coming in with all early voting data, going back to Feb. 19th,” Allen said. “That’s 200,212 ballots.”
Keep that in mind.
You can see some five-day-old maps for vote by mail applications here, returned mail here and early voting here to give you a rough idea of what’s out there.
* Regardless of the issues, the Associated Press declared Marie Newman the winner…
Challenger Marie Newman claimed victory over Rep. Dan Lipinski on Tuesday night in a rematch of their nationally watched Democratic congressional primary that was a battle between the party’s progressive and moderate wings.
The businesswoman from La Grange ended nearly four decades of Lipinski family control of the Southwest Side and southwest suburban congressional seat. The congressman’s father, William Lipinski, served from 1983 until 2005, when he engineered the appointment of his son.
“I am bursting with pride and gratitude for the amazing coalition who helped bring about much needed change in our district,” Newman said in a statement. “We are going to work together to lower healthcare costs, to fight climate change, and to continue building a hospitable community for everyone, no matter where you come from.
* Whatever’s left to be counted could be crucial in this race…
Ald. Edward M. Burke, the long-time 14th Ward Democratic Committeeperson, was in a close race to retain the seat against freshman state Rep. Aaron Ortiz, but his chief rival’s lead was growing.
Ortiz — who ousted Burke’s brother, state Rep. Dan Burke, just over a year ago — is leading with 40% of the vote to Burke’s 33%, with 94% of precincts reporting. Alicia Elena Martinez trails with 27% of the vote.
The too-close-to-call race — for now — leaves Burke’s seat, which he has held since 1968, up for grabs.
Ortiz won his House race.
* Perhaps the same goes for this race…
Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville Jr. looked poised to hold the seat on the high court he inherited from the late Justice Charles E. Freeman, but a strong challenge from Appellate Court Justice Jesse Reyes meant there was no clear winner in the race late Tuesday. […]
With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Neville led with 24.4 percent of the vote. Reyes had 21.3 percent, Harris had 16.1 percent, McBride had 12.7 percent, Cobbs had 12.9 percent, Epstein had 7.8 percent, and Howse had 4.8 percent.
Neville is now up by 5.
* The state’s attorney’s race wasn’t close despite huge spending by Bill Conway…
With about 85% of precincts reporting at 10:30 p.m., Foxx had 48% of the vote and Conway had 33%. Two other challengers were polling a distant third and fourth.
* Press release…
State Rep. Yoni Pizer conceded to Margaret Croke in the race for 12th District State Representative on Tuesday.
“I congratulate Margaret Croke on her victory and a hard-fought campaign,” said Rep. Pizer. “I decided to step up and run because I believe strongly that representation matters. I was humbled and honored to be appointed the first-ever openly gay representative of the 12th District, which includes the historically LGBTQ community of Boystown. I intend to work with Representative-Elect Croke to ensure that it receives the representation we need and deserve.”
* Hannah Meisel…
Anti-gun advocate Denyse Wang Stoneback appeared to have defeated appointed State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish (D-Skokie) in a race that centered on the Democratic Party’s push to expand access to reproductive health care.” […]
In the 3rd District, appointed State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado appeared to lead Chicago teacher Nidia Carranza, according to unofficial returns. Delgado had the support of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, while Carranza had the support of the Chicago Teachers Union.
In the 9th District, State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, appeared to lead former WGN radio host Patti Vasquez and Chicago Police Officer Joe Duplechin, according to unofficial returns.
In the Illinois Senate, appointed State Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) appeared to lead immigration attorney Ken Thomas, according to early returns.
* I think this is over, but we’ll see…
Illinois state Sen. Iris Martinez has a big lead in the Democratic primary for clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court. With 3,579 out of 3,668 precincts reporting, Illinois state Sen. Iris Martinez is heading up the four-way race, with 34% of the vote.
Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Michael Cabonargi follows in second place (27%), trailed by former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (25.3%) and civil rights attorney Jacob Meister (13.7%).
That’s gonna mean another legislative appointment.
…Adding… Cabonargi has conceded.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Kinda…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Marie Newman…
“Earlier today, I spoke with Congressman Lipinski, who ran a tough race. I want to thank him for reaching out, and I’m hopeful we can work together in the coming months to fight for our community and to get things done for the Third Congressional District. I am so proud of the coalition we built in this campaign and I am looking forward to continuing to meet with people and hearing their concerns on the campaign trail over the next few months. Now, more than ever, we need to be unified and not divided. Let’s all stand together in this fight for better healthcare, a more equitable economy and solutions that improve everybody’s everyday.”
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Open thread
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Man, what a morning. Up really late, overslept a bit, lost my Internet connection, browser problems. You name it, I got it. Great timing, too. Be nice to each other. I’ll have another post up soonish. I need another cup of coffee first, though.
…Adding… And the coffee maker just broke.
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Late afternoon/evening precinct reports
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ah, Chicago…
The answer is: Yes.
…Adding… This has been getting a lot of play on Twitter…
By coincidence, my pal Chris Dudley voted at that precinct. Her story…
Rich,
I wanted to let you know about Andy and my experience voting in Chicago this morning. Our normal polling place is at a neighborhood nursing home. We were informed last week via mail that the polling place had been changed to a new location. When we arrived at the new location this morning, the delightful poll worker informed us that our particular precinct was not voting at this location— because they never received the materials. She informed us that we would need to vote at the Police HQ on Addison (which has been the location for early voting in the 44th ward). As we departed, hand written signs we noticed (which we missed) were posted on the doors to inform the voters of our precinct where to proceed.
So off we went to the Police HQ. The line at 11:00 was very long wrapping around the building. Many candidates , including Margaret Croke, were working the line (at an appropriate distance). The poll workers were EXCELLENT. They were professional, patient and attentive to the social distancing necessary at this time. The voters in line were equally delightful. No complaining, seemed delighted to be out in the fresh air while they waited. It was encouraging to see so many folks lined up to vote. Adding, I have never stood in line to vote in all my years voting in Chicago…but was most happy to do so today.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
…Adding… Oh, my…
* As I told subscribers this morning, I won’t have live election results here tonight, but I will have links to sites where you can see those results. I will have a ScribbleLive post for winners, however.
Now, on to the precinct reports. Tell us what you’re seeing, what you’re hearing and where you’re at. Thanks!
[Comments are now off. Please move to the live election coverage post.]
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* In all the chaos I forgot it was St. Patrick’s Day. So, how about let’s talk about our favorite St. Patrick’s Day political moments in days gone by?
…Adding… Musical interlude…
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Early afternoon precinct reports
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hannah Meisel…
12th House
Though there had already been tension in the 12th District as newcomers began lining up in the summer to fight longtime House member Sara Feigenholtz, after former Senate President John Cullerton announced he was planning on retiring in November, even more Democrats got into the race to replace Feigenholtz, who almost immediately announced her intention to seek Cullerton’s empty Senate seat. […]
The campaigns got heated over the weekend over protections for Coronavirus, with Pizer’s campaign throwing arrows accusing Croke’s campaign of putting lives at risk for still engaging in limited in-person get-out-the-vote activity at early voting locations.
Tensions also bubbled on Monday when Pizer’s campaign accused Croke’s campaign of covering up signs that included a message regarding why the campaign was not engaging in in-person canvassing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Croke spokesman Hugo Jacobo said Pizer’s campaign “ha[d] no proof” it was done by a Croke campaign member.
“No one on our team did that or would do that,” Jacobo said. “100 percent of our efforts are on communicating with voters.”
At least they weren’t actually stealing the signs. /s
* Latest updates…
* Sun-Times: City elections board spars with governor’s office over decision not to postpone primary
* SJ-R: ‘Interest is starting to grow’
* Tribune: DuPage Co. restocking polling places with hand sanitizer, other supplies as votes trickle in
* NBC 5: DuPage County Clerk announces that more than 9,800 votes had been cast as of 8 a.m. No additional polling places were closed in the county Tuesday, but 17 closures were previously announced, all of which were relocated to the DuPage County Fairgrounds.
* Daily Herald: Seven Lake County polling places to change due to pandemic
* What’s going on in your neck of the woods? Make sure to tell us where you’re at. And, please, don’t engage in policy and campaign debates. We have other threads for that. People read these threads to get an idea about what’s going on. So, enlighten us. Thank you kindly.
[Comments are now closed, so click here for a fresh post.]
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* WBEZ…
School assignments given during the mandatory school closure should not count toward student grades because most school districts are not ready for e-learning, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
All K-12 schools in the state will be closed from March 17 until at least March 30 under an order from Gov. JB Pritzker.
While some school districts are able to move to e-learning to continue class remotely, the state board says most districts don’t have the capability. Of the 614 districts that responded to a survey sent by ISBE over the weekend, 71% said they had obstacles to moving to e-learning. The biggest challenge was student access to broadband, followed by access to digital devices.
The board said it’s a matter of equity not to have assignments impact grades during this time. The state is exploring options to move districts to e-learning if closures go beyond March 30, but that is at the exploratory stage.
Chicago Public Schools instructed teachers to hand out learning packets Monday to be completed by students during the shutdown. CPS CEO Janice Jackson said this work should be seen primarily as enrichment, but she also suggested teachers could find ways to get students to do it.
We are now paying the price for years of inaction on this front. Hopefully, this will finally break the logjam.
* And the school closures could last longer than two weeks. President Trump said yesterday it was possible the pandemic would be with us through July or August. Sun-Times…
For the second time this school year, Chicago families face an uncertain future as all schools close Tuesday — but this time it’s because of the coronavirus outbreak that has taken over life in the United States.
City and schools officials are making efforts to ease the burden on families in need, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged Monday that it’s not yet clear whether school can resume at the end of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandated two-week closure March 31.
“This is an incredibly fluid situation, which is an understatement,” Lightfoot told reporters after touring the district’s coronavirus command center. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself and predict what may be happening in April because as a matter of fact it’s hard for us to predict what’s going to happen one or two days in advance.”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today the Office of Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), Illinois Principals Association (IPA), and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the following statement:
These are unprecedented times, but we are all together with the goal of caring for students. Our organizations are truly inspired by the phenomenal cooperation shown across the state and encourage all of our members to be reasonable, creative, and generous while determining what’s best for our students in Illinois. ISBE has announced that these will be Act of God Days. To assist our members during this time, the leadership of the IEA, IFT, IASA, and IPA have prepared this joint guidance with the Office of Governor JB Pritzker and ISBE to be effective through March 30, 2020. As this is a rapidly evolving situation, subsequent guidance may be released.
From March 17 through March 30, all school district employees on the district’s payroll will get paid as if the schools were functioning normally, regardless of the district plans developed during this time. These school days will not be made up. All employees will get paid as if they did all the normal work they would have done if schools were functioning normally. Normal pay includes salary, hourly and stipend pay, benefits, and employees will receive full and normal service credit in their pension systems.
From March 17 through March 30, the employer can expect school district employees to participate in work activities in some form. The concrete details of the work, including stipend work, that will occur during this timeframe must be worked out through mutual agreement, but negotiations should focus on ensuring (1) continuity of education, (2) provision of meals, and (3) other student support measures as appropriate for each district. Public health and safety of students and staff are paramount, and to the extent work can be done remotely, it should be. Illinois Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations on social distancing and group gatherings should be adhered to. Employers should not require any more employees than absolutely necessary to come to school.
No school district can unilaterally change the use of benefit days. We encourage local collaboration on the use of benefit days and encourage ways to support anyone who is sick or is caring for a sick family member.
We acknowledge that the current law on teacher evaluation and Reduction in Force (honorable dismissal and layoff) remains in full force including all timelines and existing statutory language. If necessary, meetings and evaluation conferences associated with these statutes will occur remotely.
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* AP…
In Illinois, Cook County Clerk Karen A. Yarbrough took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to encourage poll workers to mark space on the floor at polling sites to keep voters a safe distance apart and avoid spreading the virus. The tweet included a photo of a roll of blue tape, a piece of string and a tape measure along with a note that concludes: “THIS PICTURE CAN SAVE LIVES.”
Yarbrough said shortly after the polls opened, however, that she had heard of no problems at the county’s polling sites and expected “things to go well” on Tuesday.
“I’m just hopeful that we’ll have a good day voting for the people,” she said.
Not since New York City postponed its mayoral primary on the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has an election been pushed off in such a high-profile, far-reaching way. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine initially asked a court to delay the vote, and when a judge refused to do so the state’s health director declared a health emergency that would prevent the polls from opening.
* DuPage County Clerk…
Voting is proceeding in DuPage County.
By 8:00 AM, 9,894 voters had cast ballots today, for an overall turnout of 8% of 49,745 cast. DuPage County has 613,430 registered voters.
No additional polling places have been closed today. […]
This morning, the DuPage County Division of Transportation delivered additional stocks of hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies to every polling place in DuPage County. A team of 25 field representatives will be deployed across the County throughout the day to keep polling places restocked with supplies.
* Daily Herald…
The continuing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the closure of seven Lake County polling places for Tuesday’s primary election — but alternate sites have been established.
* SJ-R…
It’s 7:15 a.m. and Sangamon County clerk Don Gray is pleased.
“We opened every poll on time and everyone is staffed,” Gray said. “I’m proud of how the election judges have stepped up and done their civic duty.”
There are 79 polling stations for 180 precincts. And Gray says those polls are safe. Voters will have hand sanitizer and election judges will be wiping down every surface at the polls with disinfectant wipes.
* But Chicago (surprise!) is a freaking mess. And to cover themselves, election officials are shifting blame…
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman Jim Allen said city election officials asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to call off in-person voting but the governor declined.
Allen said board of election officials spoke with the Governor’s staff last week hours after health authorities declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.
“We were urging the postponement of the election, the abandonment of the polling place model of voting and a conversion to vote by mail for the safety of the voting public,” Allen said.
“They’ve been trying to get away from in-precinct [voting] for years and we always say no,” explained one top Dem about Chicago election authorities. “It’s insane,” the person added. “They are government officials. They should be doing their jobs not making it worse simply to cover their own [behinds].”
* This was my question during the conference call…
Having a plan is one thing, executing it is quite another.
* They simply did not do their jobs and now want to blame others when nobody else is complaining like this…
He was also unaware of an offer by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to provide the city with hand sanitizer and dodged a question about the state’s offer to supply 2,000 high school kids in a state program which was apparently denied when city elections officials refused to waive polling place training requirements.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
Our nation and our state are facing a crisis at the moment. Over the last week, so many leaders have stepped up to the plate to offer innovative solutions to our challenges and, unfortunately, there are those who have shirked their responsibility.
Last week, the Chicago Board of Elections held a call with the Governor’s office, the House Speaker and the Senate President where they voiced concern about having enough election judges. The Governor’s Office offered to provide the National Guard to help staff the election and we also worked to recruit volunteers. 2000 young people from the Mikva Challenge were turned away from volunteering because the board wouldn’t reduce red tape. So instead of accepting help or offering any solutions of their own, the Chicago Board of Elections decided to wait until Election Day to get on a call with press and make politically charged accusations.
The Governor cannot unilaterally cancel or delay an election. Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and we could not risk confusion and disenfranchisement in the courts. No one is saying this is a perfect solution. We have no perfect solutions at the moment. We only have least bad solutions.
What’s concerning is that the board has time to play politics instead of doing their job. Instead of hosting a press call to pass on the blame for their failures, we would urge the Chicago Board of Elections to focus on ensuring our democracy can continue as uninterrupted as possible by troubleshooting the issues at the polls.
This administration and the Governor are focused on our critical health needs around the state today. The Chicago Board of Elections should find a way to do their job.
…Adding… Agreed…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Jim Allen has stepped into a buzzsaw…
*** UPDATE 3 *** Walkback…
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Mid-morning precinct reports
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Chicago Elections Board is reporting extremely low turnout, just 10,000 in the first hour.
Here’s a list of news media campaign update pages with the latest headlines. Click the links throughout the day to stay updated…
* Sun-Times: Election judges report sanitizer shortages: ‘I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do’
* WBEZ: Virus doesn’t stop Illinois election
* SJ-R: Primary Election Day updates: Polls are open, all are staffed
* Tribune: https://www.sj-r.com/news/20200317/primary-election-day-updates-polls-are-open-all-are-staffed
* NBC 5: DuPage County Clerk announces that more than 9,800 votes had been cast as of 8 a.m. No additional polling places were closed in the county Tuesday, but 17 closures were previously announced, all of which were relocated to the DuPage County Fairgrounds.
* Daily Herald: Seven Lake County polling places to change due to pandemic
If you run across any other such links, please let me know.
* How are things looking like by you? Tell us what you see and where you are. Thanks.
[Comments are closed. Fresh thread is here.]
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Early morning precinct reports
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Village of Barrington…
As of this morning, Tuesday, March 17 at 6:15 a.m., there is currently NO VOTING at Village Hall, and likely other Village of Barrington polling places, due to a lack of election judge volunteers reporting for duty. Unfortunately we do not have any further information for our residents as to where or how to vote at this time.
Cook County Elections Department “leases” space for elections; Village Hall is one of those spaces. We provide the building, but do not provide judges, nor do we have any authority to do so.
Before you head to your polling place today, please contact your election board for further information
Oh, man.
What’s it looking like where you vote? How are the crowds? What’s the mood? Please tell us what you’re seeing and where you’re at. Thanks.
…Adding… Daily Line…
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chair Marisel Hernandez told reporters Monday that the election would be the “most difficult in 100 years.”
Hernandez pleaded with “young, healthy” Chicagoans to serve as election judges by simply showing up to a polling place Tuesday.
There has been a “tsunami” of resignations of election judges, Hernandez said.
“We are in an untenable position,” Hernandez said.
But even if polling places open as scheduled, it is not clear how many voters will show up amid fears that they could get sick, or unwittingly spread the virus.
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