Elections & Progressive Leadership

"There are three critical ingredients to democratic renewal and progressive change in America: good public policy, grassroots organizing and electoral politics.”
-- The Late Senator Paul Wellstone

Citizen Action/Illinois & The Progressive Action Project

• Advocating for progressive values and a progressive agenda in Springfield and Washington, DC
• Organizing and building coalitions that are committed to social justice and economic fairness
• Reaching out into communities and educating the public about issues and candidates
• Registering people to vote and encouraging them to participate in the political process

Citizen Action/Illinois is not only the largest consumer watchdog group in Illinois, but also one of the most effective vehicles for progressive political involvement in our state.

Citizen Action/Illinois: leading the way in the fight for our civil rights, progressive values and our future.

Clean Elections

Citizen Action/Illinois supports the following principles as a framework for how to obtain government and election reforms in Illinois:

• The election process is the cornerstone of our democracy and the quest for campaign funds should not undermine its integrity and vibrancy. Elections should be both fair and competitive.
• Public officials should devote the majority of their time and creativity to governing and policymaking, not campaigning and fundraising.
• The public has a right to know who funds elections in a timely manner through accessible informational sources.
• Government has a role to play in facilitating fair, issue-oriented campaigns and an informed citizenry.
• All voices in our democratic process should be heard and invited to participate.
• Big money contributors should not be rewarded with disproportionate political influence or special access.

Citizen Action/Illinois supports adopting a "clean elections model" of campaign financing in Illinois.  Clean elections allow candidates to seek office without having to raise large sums of money. Instead, qualified candidates would qualify for limited public funds which are secured through the gathering of smaller donations.  By adopting a clean elections model in Illinois, candidates may better harness the power of small political donors, making a contribution from a factory worker or a waitress just as valuable as one from a lobbyist or corporate CEO.

One model for creating a clean elections program is "The Lincoln Act", which establishes a voluntary public financing system for candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, State Senator, and State Representative.  This allows candidates the option to forego special interest funding of their campaigns without having to unilaterally disarm. It would establish guidelines for raising qualifying contributions in increments from $5 up to $500 per individual. It would also specify the minimum number of contributors a candidate would be required to garner, in order to demonstrate viability as a candidate and be eligible to receive public funds. Read the fact sheet and FAQ's.

2010 Public Interest Scorecard

Every year, Citizen Action/Illinois examines the voting records of our elected officials. The Public Interest Scorecard enables concerned citizens to hold their elected officials accountable for their votes during the year. We hope that this information will both educate and motivate Illinoisans to engage in the democratic process. View the 2010 Scorecard under Reports and Resources or select the link below.