Jesse White Running for Secretary of State Again in 2010

Unlike the candidates running for U.S. Senators for Illinois, Illinois governors and the excitement of a new Chicago mayor, the candidates running for Secretary of State are fairly quiet. Minus campaign yard signs on random blocks, people may not even realize Jesse White's, Illinois' current Secretary of State, term may be up. And who is his competition anyway?

His competitors this year are Republican candidate Robert Enriquez and Libertarian candidate Josh Hanson. Green party candidate Adrian Frost and withdrew, and Christopher Pedersen and Gary Dunlap were removed, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections site. So what are these opposing candidates offering Illinois voters?

"One of the first things that I tell people who do approach me and say 'Why would I vote for you? Why are you running or why would I vote for you?' The first thing is the transparency," said Robert Enriquez via YouTube video. "We need to make sure that transparency is the number one mission statement of the Secretary of State offices. You know where all the money's coming from and you know where it's going to. It's that simple."

While Jesse White is hands-on with Illinois literacy courses and programs, such as the Talking Book and Braille Service for disabled print readers, and helped to obtain donated computers, computer installation, software and technical support for Illinois public libraries in poverty-stricken areas.

Josh Hanson, however, states on his website that, "I believe that the essential job of promoting literacy belongs with the family and with the community, and that the resources to do that job should remain in the community where they belong, not in the hands of distant politicians."

Some of the other issues Jesse White stands up for are law enforcement ticketing drivers who use their cell phone in school or construction zones without hands-free devices, and enforcing laws against texting while driving. In September, the Secretary of State approved three public service announcements to deter drivers from such acts. When State Rep. John D'Amico wanted to raise the driving age from 16 to 18, Jesse White rebelled against that and instead encouraged more training for younger drivers.

White also supports Illinoisans signing up for organ donations with the First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Registry, which makes a person's decision to donate legally binding.

He's been endorsed by the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois AFL-CIO, the latter company endorsing almost all Democrats.

Illinoisans see Jesse White's photo sitting on top of the Department of Motor Vehicles website and on random mail. He's clearly a voter favorite judging from past elections. Becoming the 37th Secretary of State, he won in 1998 and then again in 2002 with over 2.3 million votes. According to his website, that's "the largest vote total by any candidate for Illinois statewide office in a quarter of a century." In November 2006, he won again with 63 percent.

Sources:
Cyber Drive Illinois
"Illinois AFL-CIO Endorsements 2010 Illinois General Election"
Josh Hanson's website
Robert Enriquez's website