Candidates in a majority of races for the Illinois House of Representatives probably won’t be biting their nails as they wait for election results Nov. 6 – they have already won.
Of the 118 races up for grabs in the state’s General Assembly, 69 – or 58.4 percent – are uncontested. Forty races have a Democratic candidate, while the remaining 29 feature uncontested Republicans.
David Morrison, deputy director for Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said it’s not surprising that there are nearly 60 percent of uncontested races given the unfair redistricting practices that benefit the party in power; this time, it was the Democrats.
“The party that draws the map tends to gain seats in the General Assembly,” Morrison said. “The map in 1980 was drawn by Democrats, and Democrats controlled the chambers throughout the ’80s. (In 1990), the Republicans got to draw the map and controlled the senate. In the 2000s, Democrats drew the map, and low and behold, have held control ever since.”
Morrison said Republican or Democratic map drawers will create a majority of districts based on population sets that would vote for their party’s candidate. That way, candidates will either run uncontested or will most likely defeat anyone who runs against them. This way, Morrison said one party can enjoy majority representation in the House.
This year’s percentage of uncontested campaigns is slightly lower than usual, said Christopher Z. Mooney, professor of political science at University of Illinois at Springfield and an expert in Illinois politics. He added that the 2010 race was unusual, where only about 31 to 45 percent of House races went uncontested, citing the percentage from a textbook.
Mooney added that large percentages of uncontested races are not only characteristic of Illinois but of state governments across the nation.
People in the United States tend to follow a homophily, or live near people similar to them, he said. In turn, a majority of a district’s residents may naturally lean toward either a Democratic or Republican ideology, which often eliminates the chance for competition.
“Chicago is heavily dominated by Democrats. Downstate is heavily dominated by Republicans,” Mooney said. “Why would someone bother running if they don’t have a chance of winning?”
All but five house races in Chicago’s 28 State House district races are uncontested, according to a document from the Illinois Board of Elections.
Whitney Woodward, a policy associate at the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said there are races that seem legitimate and competitive, but those are the same races that are heavily funded with campaign contributions and are in districts that are afterthoughts for map drawers.
“They try to draw competitive districts, but that’s after they draw as many districts as possible where they can win (their own party’s) seats,” Woodward said.
Woodward said the League of Women Voters tried to launch a campaign in 2009 to reform redistricting processes but failed. She said another political group called CHANGE Illinois is currently trying to push for a new, more transparent redistricting process.
While some voters may be apathetic to the largely many uncontested races for state government, members of the League of Women Voters of Illinois think uncontested races go against the flow of democracy.
“The more robust debate during election season and the more opportunities that voters have to hear from two candidates in a race, the much better it is for the body of politics,” said Mary Schaafsma, executive director for the League of Women Voters of Illinois.
Legislator response to constituents is also reduced with more uncontested races, Schaafsma said. She said when there is less competition in races, a legislator may not feel the need to pay attention to his or her constituents because they have already secured a seat in government.
Some lawmakers, like Rep. Daniel J. Burke, sees an upside of running uncontested.
Rep. Daniel J. Burke, who’s running uncontested in the 1st District, and has had an opponent only twice in the general election in his 22 years in the General Assembly, said he feels free to make decisions that don’t only reflect his constituents’ desires.
“I was able to not be so concerned as many incumbents would be concerned with their voting record,” Burke said. “I was able to do things that were a little more outside what political intelligence would tell you to do.”
Burke said he supported legislation that put more heart defibrillator machines in public places throughout the state – something he said he wouldn’t have concentrated on if he wasn’t free to think outside of his constituency.
More competition would certainly make legislators feel inclined to serve their constituency, Mooney said. But if redistricting reform was applied to Illinois government, and more races went contested with a 50-50 chance, Mooney said there’s been debate that it could “be a big year for democrats or republicans.” It could create an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly for either party.
Either way, redistricting remains a hot topic in state government, which Burke also agrees is done to support the map drawers’ party.
“I’d be a fool to say there was anything done otherwise,” Burke said. “That’s how majorities are maintained.”