From Naperville Sun:

The Illinois House’s top Republican said Tuesday he’s crafting legislation designed to stop the longtime practice of outgoing elected officials anointing their successors without any say from voters.

“Politicians in both parties have abused the current system to ensure that handpicked candidates don’t have to go through the full nomination and election process,” House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said at a Chicago news conference. He said such maneuvers rob “the voters of the opportunity to decide who truly represents them.” Illinois election law allows political party leaders to pick a replacement candidate for a ballot vacancy – a process that often lets the outgoing candidate influence who gets chosen.

Most recently, retiring Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, set the stage for his son, Emil Jones III, to replace him on the Nov. 4 ballot. In recent years, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., also have replaced their fathers as candidates.

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