Don't Sweat the Judges: Who did the IVI-IPO Endorse for the Illinois Primaries?
Tuesday January 15, 2008
Although you may have a good idea of who is going to get your vote for President, don't forget how you fudge your way through the voting process whenever you come to the list of judges on the ballot.
One way to avoid that is to follow the recommendations of the Independent Voters of Illinois - Independent Precinct Organization. IVI-IPO is a "not-for-profit, multi-partisan, independent political organization." They've been around for more than 44 years. Every election season, they vet candidates and make endorsements.
Find their endorsements for the Febraury 5, 2008 Illinois Primary candidates for all offices (not just judges) here. Print it out and take it with you when you vote. Then, there will be no sweating the small(er) stuff.
One way to avoid that is to follow the recommendations of the Independent Voters of Illinois - Independent Precinct Organization. IVI-IPO is a "not-for-profit, multi-partisan, independent political organization." They've been around for more than 44 years. Every election season, they vet candidates and make endorsements.
Find their endorsements for the Febraury 5, 2008 Illinois Primary candidates for all offices (not just judges) here. Print it out and take it with you when you vote. Then, there will be no sweating the small(er) stuff.
Comments
Unfortunately I would urge everyone to do additional research on candidates. The IVI-IPO organization isn’t what it used to be. Many candidates have discovered that the endorsement can be bought by packing the vote with friends and employees. Frequently the endorsed candidates are far from independent or the best qualified. Machine politics in action.
I appreciate this comment and the point is well taken. Please share your preferred endorsement sites. I will also work to put together a listing of endorsement sites before the primary, and then voters and readers can pick their preferred tainted Chicago endorsers.
I agree that the Independent Voters of Illinois is an excellent resource. For judges, I also check the newspapers’ recommendations. True there would be bias there, but they point out when judicial candidates are particularly bad. The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) rates judicial candidates as highly qualified, qualified or not qualified. I don’t know how you get their list, but the Illinois Civil Justice League (at www.illinoisjudges.net) discuses the candidates, their endorsements, and the ISBA ratings. Thanks for sharing this information!
On my site, For What It’s Worth, you’ll find all of the judicial endorsements, including the IVI-IPO’s, and all the bar association evaluations, too. There’s a sample ballot on page two of my site with links that will allow voters to make real side-by-side comparisons for all contested Circuit Court races in Cook County.