By Adam Studzinski
EL PASO – Illinois’ governor was in El Paso Tuesday to push the General Assembly to pass a constitutional amendment for term limits and create independently drawn legislative maps.
Gov. Bruce Rauner said the way things are now isn’t working.
“We have people in the General Assembly who have been there 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. That’s not Democracy. That’s a rigged system,” he said.
Rauner added people in Illinois overwhelmingly support term limits.
“Eight years on statewide elected officials, 10 years on members of the General Assembly,” said Rauner. “If the legislature passes that, on term limits, it’ll go on the ballot and the court system won’t be able to block it or take it out.”
The call comes after a judge in Chicago rejected a citizen amendment to put redistricting reform on the November ballot. Rauner didn’t have much faith in an appeal to the state Supreme Court.
“I’m concerned based on the ruling that the lower court just passed last week. They used the same logic that they rejected for term limits two years ago,” said Rauner. “The same logic that reforms that are done through a voter referenda process need to be structural and procedural.”
Rauner wanted legislators to make the votes during the upcoming veto session.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
