Senate election compromise worth considering

Democrats, in the aftermath of the Blagojevich scandal, supported a special election to fill the state's vacant U.S. Senate seat, but now they're backtracking. But there's a compromise available that could have the seat filled by April and with an election. Soon after the stunning arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich on federal corruption charges, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin suggested that Blagojevich could not be entrusted with naming the replacement senator for president-elect Barack Obama. Instead, Durbin said, voters should be able to nominate and select Obama's replacement in a special election. Many other Democrats seconded Durbin's idea. But now they've backed away from it. It may be that Democrats are afraid that voters, fed up with Democratic Party corruption, may turn to the Republican Party nominee. Or it may be that they really are concerned about the cost of such an election, estimated at anywhere from $25 million to $50 million. The 102 individual counties would have to pay for the election, not the state. (Estimated cost to Champaign County: $150,000.) There aren't many governments, including the state, that have that kind of money these days. So when they had a chance to approve a special election, Illinois House Democrats deferred. "There was division within the Democratic caucus about what to do," House Speaker Michael Madigan said. Several Democrats cited the cost. Good enough. Then how about a compromise offered by Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden? It would certainly be much less expensive, and it would give voters the final say on Obama's successor. Shelden proposes that leaders of the three qualified parties (Democratic, Green and Republican) each slate a candidate this winter in time for the April 7 consolidated election when all Illinois voters are eligible to go to the polls anyway. Depending on how the special election law is written and when it is passed, there's even a chance that independent candidates could get on the April 7 ballot. Shelden estimates the additional cost statewide at $25,000 (the expense to print special ballots). Some may object to "party bosses" nominating their candidates instead of the voters. But Shelden notes that had Obama resigned his Senate seat on July 1, Illinois election law would have required those bosses to slate candidates to appear on the November general election ballot.