Proposed Amendment to the Constitution, Recall Governor Section on 2010 Illinois Election Ballot

Pamphlets are circulating around my building about the "Proposed Amendment to Add Section 7 to Article III of the Illinois Constitution." The baby blue booklet gives a detailed analysis about how Illinoisans could potentially recall a Governor by petition and a special voting election for a replacement before his (or her) term is up. Chicago's reputation for politics is not the most honest so I understand the suggestion to recall a governor. However, I am divided on whether I like the idea or not.

Not even a year before President Barack Obama was voted as president, people were already criticizing the actions he was making. Some U.S. citizens said we're not giving him enough time to get things done. Others said he was taking too long. And the rest didn't want him in the White House in the first place so no matter what he does, they're going to wag a fist at him. I feel the same way about an Illinois governor. Although former Governor Blagojevich was certainly a special case with tape-recorded conversations of allegedly trying to sell the Illinois Senate Seat vacated by Pres. Obama, that doesn't mean every governor is going to do so.

However, for those who didn't like Blagojevich from the very beginning, if they'd have had it their way, he'd have been gone a long time ago. So would Pres. Obama. That's what bothers me about the type of power that this recall bill could pose. The argument against this amendment in the Illinois constitution is that the cost of a special election to recall a governor could cost as much as $101 million, a governor can already be removed by impeachment and the recall could be used as a threatening tool for political games.

The unemployment rate is already ridiculous in Illinois. Now imagine getting a job and six months into it, someone says, "You know we can fire you, right?" An everyday citizen doesn't have the luxury of sitting on a position six months without the danger of being fired. Unless a governor did something really ridiculous in the first six months, that's really not enough time to make serious, long-term changes especially not with the debt Chicago is in.

But on the other hand, I'd have been really annoyed if I'd heard the tapes by Blagojevich and Illinois government decided to drag their feet about impeaching Blagojevich. The citizens should have some rights over who is governing them, and a man talking to his brother about how he should bargain for the Senate seat isn't someone I want to deal with my taxes or jobs. The arguments in favor of the amendment are that electors should have these rights, the recall process can actually make citizens pay more attention to the governor instead of feeling hopeless that he will serve his term no matter what and to not have to rely on the impeachment process.

In the end, I'll probably vote "yes" on Election Day because I think we should have some say-so about the person who is governing Illinois. My only problem is that this could backfire. The recall process only requires 15 percent of the total votes cast for the gubernatorial election, 2500 signatures (100 each from 25 separate counties) and an affidavit not being filed sooner than six months after the governor's time of office. The affidavit would then have to be signed by at least 10 members of the Senate, 20 members of the House of Representatives and no more than half from the same party. While that may seem like a lot, after watching how ridiculously slanted the health care bill was before it passed into law, if people want to be spiteful, they'll do it.

If your boss could just do away with people every six months, would you want to work there? Is this too much control for Chicagoans? I don't know, but I'd hate to be stuck with a governor for a full term who I didn't trust further than I could throw him.