In 2007, the Illinois legislature changed the date of the General Primary election from the third Tuesday in March to the first Tuesday in February.  The reason was simple.  Decades ago, the Illinois primary was actually near the beginning of the primary election calendar.  By 2004 it was near the end, and had become insignificant in the process. The February date put us right in the middle of the action.

Now the legislature is considering whether to maintain the 2008 calendar for 2010.  There are three scenarios that seem to be getting attention.  The first is to maintain the February date.  The second is to move the primary back to the March date or a similar spring day.  The third is to move the primary to September which would match what a number of other states do.

From the perspective of election officials, the September date brings a host of complications.  First, and primarily, it narrows the window between the certification of primary results and absentee voting for the General election in November.  Under normal circumstances, this is difficult.  In the event that we ever have an election contest after a primary election, it would be impossible to provide ballots in the same timely manner that we are able to today.

The February primary date this past election turned out fairly well.  It was a challenge during the Christmas season to prepare ballots.  Additionally, we were blessed with good weather.  Northern Illinois narrowly missed a disaster as a major snowstorm came into their area around noon the day after the election.   In the back of the minds of every election official is a concern about weather, both on election day, and on the many important days prior to the election when we prepare by training judges and distributing supplies.

If I had a choice it might be May.  Indiana already does that.  It would shorten the campaign by a couple months and ensure voting in nonsnowy conditions.

What’s your preferred date?