What if Illinois threw a primary and nobody voted?

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It’s primary time in Illinois (and groundhog day), and I’ve awakened from a winter slumber. Around these parts, we go to the polls in February and I’ve always suspected it was designed to discourage residents from voting. This would go a long way toward explaining how we got into this mess.

Low voter turnout is business as usual here. I can’t recall a time when even close to half of registered voters turned out to vote, and that was to elect Barack Obama to the U.S. Senate. In 2006, just 25% cast a ballot.

Things were pretty quiet in my polling place this morning, a scene reportedly being played out across the city. If people aren’t angry enough about the antics of Todd Stroger, or don’t get how the Cook County board controls things like the county health system or Chicago’s sales tax, the highest in the country, then there’s really very little hope for reform or change.

Alan Tecktiel,  a Facebook friend from the old neighborhood put it quite succinctly:

“I will be voting for Todd Stroger for all open offices including governor and us senate every time I vote today. Please consider doing the same. This will send a clear message to Springfield and Washington that we are idiots who don’t deserve the right to vote.”

The polls close at 7 pm.