Ed Rutledge for Lieutenant Governor

By Ed Rutledge

2010 Libertarian Candidate for Lieutenant Governor

01/28/2011

This post is a follow-up to my post from a couple of days ago – http://rutledge4illinois.com/blog-posts/ballot-access-laws-snare-a-major-party-candidate/

Despite the legal and general definitions of “reside” and despite the impossibility of being in two places at once, the Illinois Supreme Court has decided to make a circumstantial exception to the law and allow Rahm Emanuel’s name to remain on the ballot for Chicago’s mayoral election. In other words, they are telling us that the law is a matter of convenience, and that it can and should be bent whenever it becomes politically inexpedient. Our political class is once again demonstrating that there are two categories of people in our state – those with clout, and those without.

I have often said that a good law is one which can be applied in every instance, without exception. With a wink and a nod, the Illinois Supreme Court has offered proof that Illinois’s ballot access laws are flawed. But rather than serving as an opportunity to highlight and change a bad law, this debacle will only serve as a reminder of our politicians’ ability to bend their own laws to serve their own needs.

I know first-hand how hard it is to get on the ballot in Illinois. I really did sympathize with Rahm’s plight and, frankly, the plight of Chicago voters. Citizens, not legislators, should be the ones driving the electoral process. This was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to see what is generally hidden, and to make a change. Instead, we are being told to “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

Choice is good, and I am very glad to see Rahm’s name back on the ballot. It is just a shame that the highest court in Illinois had to bend the law to get it there.

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