Illinois Issues Election Almanac     By PORTER McNEIL

Free riders into the General Assembly

QUESTION: How many legislative candidates have no opposition in the November election?

THERE are about 50 percent fewer free riders in the Illinois House and Senate elections in 1986 than in the past two elections. As of July 8, free rides existed in four of 39 Senate and 15 of 117 House races (no one was on the ballot in the 82nd House District), which means that about 90 percent of the November legislative races are contested.

Why such a drop-off in free rides in 1986? First, 12 of the 13 write-in candidates would not have been nominated in March if the State Board of Elections had not reinterpreted writein rules just before the primary. The board eliminated requirements for a minimum number of write-in votes to win a party's nomination. Second, the Republicans may have sensed vulnerability oozing from the Democratic party in the aftermath of the shocking March 18 primary. By May 19, the deadline for district party organizations to nominate candidates by petition to fill blanks on the ballot, the GOP was ready. They filled 27 of the 28 empty ballot spots for Republican candidates in legislative districts, while Democratic party officials put only 11 candidates on ballots, leaving 17 empty ballot spots that will remain vacant.

Since May 19, two Republicans and one Democrat have withdrawn from legislative races, creating two new free-ride districts and one district with no candidate of either party (that's the 86th House district where incumbent Rep. J. Dennis Hasten of Oswego gave up his free ride when nominated by the Republican party to replace U.S. Rep John E. Grotberg as the candidate in the 14th Congressional District). Political parties may fill these vacancies — or any others created when a candidate withdraws — until September 3.

ANSWER: 18 (four senators and 14 representatives, or 17 Republicans and one Democrat, or 17 incumbents and one nonincumbent):

1986 Senate free riders (all incumbents)
Democrats:
Sam M. Vadalabene, 56th, Edwardsville
Republicans:
David N. Barkhausen, 30th, Lake Forest Virginia B. Macdonald, 27th, Mount Prospect
Harlan Rigney, 35th, Freeport

1986 House free riders
(all but Ackerman, 89th, incumbents)
Democrats:
Terry A. Steczo, 78th, Oak Forest*
Republicans:
Jay Ackerman (nonincumbent), 89th, Morton
Robert W. Churchill, 62nd, Antioch
Mary Lou Cowlishaw, 41st, Naperville
Lee A. Daniels, 46th, Elmhurst
Virginia Fiester Frederick, 59th, Lake Forest
James M. Kirkland, 66th, Elgin
Dick Klemm, 63rd, Crystal Lake
Jeff Mays, 96th, Quincy*
Myron J. Olson, 70th, Dixon
Bernard E. Pedersen, 54th, Palatine
William E. Peterson, 60th, Prairie View
(Sam Vinson's replacement), 90th, Clinton
Ronald A. Wait, 64th, Belvidere
Kathleen L. "Kay" Wojcik, 45th, Schaumburg

*Free ride would be eliminated if candidate nominated by other party.

August & September 1986/Illinois Issues/15