Scott Lee Cohen Blasts Disparities In Petition
CHICAGO, IL – Scott Lee Cohen, Independent Candidate for Governor of Illinois, used the powerful statute of George Washington, flanked by Revolutionary War financiers Robert Morris and Haym Salomon, as the background for his call to protect the rights of Illinois voters and for his attack on the inequality of the petition signature process.
Cohen, who is currently collecting voter signatures so that his name can be placed on the November ballot, calls the process “inherently unfair”, because it gives career politicians and their established political parties, a lower signature requirement than for independent candidates.
Using a graphic, Cohen pointed out that Republican and Democratic Party candidates need only to collect 5,000 valid voter signatures to be listed on the ballot. However, an Independent candidate must collect 25,000 valid signatures. “Is that fair?” asked Cohen. “It’s terribly unfair that an Independent candidate has to collect five times more signatures to get on the ballot than some career politician from one of the established parties.” Cohen labeled the process as “insidious” and said it amounted to nothing more than “a powerful incumbent protection plan that keeps career politicians in office.”
Cohen also used the news conference to “set the record straight” as to the rights of voters in the petition signature process. When asked if he is making this an issue now because he is struggling to get the necessary amount of petition signatures, Cohen responded, “No. I am very confident that we will more than reach our goal of 25,000 signatures. This is all about the rights of Illinois voters.”
Reading directly from the State of Illinois Candidates Guide for 2010, Cohen noted that, “a voter may sign an established party candidate’s petition prior to a General Primary Election and subsequent to that Election, sign a petition of an Independent or new political party candidate prior to a General Election.”
Cohen says he wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about the petition signature gathering process in light of media reports that incumbent Governor Pat Quinn has threatened to protest signatures of people who voted in the primary.
Cohen claims, “The Governor can’t just make up the rules as he goes along. It’s not right.” Cohen defiantly instructed voters to exercise their right and help him get on the November ballot by signing his petitions. Said Cohen, “I want voters to know that my candidacy will give them a viable, Independent choice for Governor in the November Election.”
