Friday, October 24, 2008

State constitution battle unpredictable as Springfield

Clout St:
Voters will be asked Nov. 4 to decide whether to rewrite the Illinois Constitution, and the answer may depend in large part on how they feel about a state government plagued by scandal and dysfunction.

The campaigns to influence that decision have taken on all the trappings of a fight between arch-rival politicians, filled with misrepresentation, inflated rhetoric and viral e-mails. Even the way the question appears on the ballot was subject to court challenge and continued complaints about fairness.

At stake are the words of the 1970 Illinois Constitution—still regarded as one of the most progressive in the nation. Praised by Republican and Democrat alike, it banned sex discrimination before the warring over the federal Equal Rights Amendment, protected the rights of the disabled and condemned acts of hate based on religion, racial or ethnic background.

Still, even fans acknowledge the constitution's flaws.
Read the whole thing and while you're at it read up the con-con roundup over at the CapFax.

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