Illinois is on the cusp of a historic election – and candidates want young people to know that they could have a meaningful influence on the outcome.

In midterm elections for the past two decades, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office has been largely uncontested, won six terms in a row by Jesse White. This year, however, for the first time in nearly 24 years, White is not seeking reelection.

“This’ll be the first new secretary of state we have in the 21st century,” said Professor Christopher Mooney, “…[and] the Secretary of State is the second most important statewide elected official.”

In the face of this significant change, the UIC Undergraduate Student Government (USG) hosted a Secretary of State Candidate Forum on March 14 in Student Center East’s Illinois Room to educate students about the office and to connect students with the 2022 election candidates. With less than a month left until the 2022 primary election, it is time for students to think about which candidates they will vote for on June 28. 

At the event, students had a chance to ask questions of and engage with two candidates: 105th Illinois Representative Dan Brady (R) and 17th Ward Alderman David Moore (D). 

The third candidate on USG’s flyer, City of Chicago Clerk Anna Valencia (D), who was endorsed by White, had a scheduling conflict and could not attend, according to USG President Anshu Nidamanuri.

Here’s a brief recap of the highlights of the event.

 

 

What does the Secretary of State do?

Though most people recognize the Secretary of State from the mail they received during their driver’s education, Mooney emphasized that the office is responsible for much more than that. 

Yes, the DMV is a large responsibility under the Secretary of State’s jurisdiction. But according to Mooney, the Secretary of State’s duties also include lobbyist registration, the Illinois Court of Claims, state libraries, archives, and more. The Secretary of State also “manages one of the largest computer databases in Illinois” and “maintain[s] official state records and the state seal,” according to the Illinois Secretary of State website. They even have their own police force, Mooney said.

The wide range of responsibilities also gives the Secretary of State “lots of jobs and contracts to hand out,” Mooney said at the forum. According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, the office employs approximately 4,000 people.

All things considered, the Secretary of State has the potential to influence the everyday lives of Illinois residents in a number of ways; they have the power to influence traffic safety laws, large amounts of resident data, and many routine tasks, such as renewing drivers licenses or managing registration and filing for businesses, lobbyists, and more.

 

 

Who are the candidates?

The current contenders for the office include the following: Alexi Giannoulias (D), Anna Valencia (D), Dan Brady (R), David Moore (D), John Milhiser (R) and Sidney Moore (D). Of these candidates, Brady and Moore were the only two to attend the UIC candidate forum.

Representative Dan Brady of Bloomington, IL is currently a Republican member of Illinois’ House of Representatives, representing the 105th District in McLean County. His campaign platform “is centered around creating a Secretary of State office that accelerates growth and helps us reach our full potential,” according to his website.

During the forum, Brady discussed his experience, saying that has worked with Secretary White on issues including first-person consent for orientation, insurance concerns, defensive driving for seniors, distracted driving prevention and more. 

Alderman David Moore of Chicago, IL currently serves as Alderman for southwest Chicago’s 17th Ward. His campaign platform focuses on public servitude and providing “access, customer service, transparency, accountability, integrity and advocacy,” according to his website.

His website also highlights his achievements in “successful voter registration drives, assisting officials to shut down drug houses and common-sense gun legislation.” During the forum, Moore also highlighted his experience as a fiscal manager and grassroots organizer as major influences on his politics.

 

 

Candidates on the Issues

In both the Q&A with USG Vice President Arthur Kasowski and public participation, one running theme was clear; both candidates, despite their difference in political party, emphasized their intention to make the Secretary of State’s office that of a public servant who is accessible and responsive to their constituents.

According to Mooney, the Secretary of State’s office has a history of corruption and ambition, with many former Secretaries using the position as a stepping stone to a higher office. While Incumbent Secretary White is a notable exception, the office’s sordid history makes it even more imperative to elect a well-intentioned candidate, Mooney said.

Both Representative Brady and Alderman Moore made it clear that they did not intend to use the office for personal gain, but rather as a non-partisan seat to serve all Illinois residents.

“The office of the Secretary of State is not an office of public policy. It’s an office about service to the people,” Brady said.

“It is important that this seat remains a servant’s seat,” Moore agreed. 

Throughout the forum, both candidates projected their commitment to service and accessibility, saying that they genuinely value the concerns of their constituents and do their best to respond to them in a timely and meaningful manner.

While many of their base values – constituent accessibility and satisfaction, improving service times, resident safety, and increasing political participation – are similar, the candidates’ proposed solutions vary based on their backgrounds and platforms.

Much of Moore’s platform is inspired by his history in the corporate accounting world, as he placed emphasis on mitigating the financial waste in the Secretary of State’s office.

When asked what his first action as Secretary of State would be, Moore said that he would begin by auditing to “see what’s going on.”

“Before you start changing things, you have to see where you can enhance and where there are problems,” Moore continued.

Moore also focused on improvements he would make to technology in order to make the office’s functions more efficient and to ensure the safety of Illinois residents. Specifically, Moore mentioned an optional digital license plate technology that would save costs and help reduce crimes such as carjackings, as well as using mainframe cloud computing and accessible satellite sites such as libraries to increase efficiency.

Moore also said that as Secretary of State he would auto-enroll all Illinois residents who turn 18 into a voter registration system with an opt-out option in order to increase political participation and convenience for young people.

Brady, on the other hand, championed what he described as a “Hands-On” approach that involves constituents in decision-making processes. Brady focuses on “cutting through red tape” and increasing efficiency for resident convenience and satisfaction.

When asked how his experience as an Illinois State Representative would benefit him as Secretary of State, Brady replied: “When you represent people, you learn from the people what’s important to them: their struggles, what they need from them, what they want. What they want is more than anything is… someone who can relate to them [and] to respond to you. You want to move through as quickly as possible, and you want to be able to be treated with respect and be treated with efficiency.”

To achieve this efficiency, Brady outlined a number of solutions. Brady proposed cross-training for staff so that they are able to have road investigators deliver items, have more staff trained in different languages to decrease language barriers in their offices, and more. Brady also discussed improving digital systems to increase efficiency, remote courses for driver safety, and other resources.

Brady also had solutions for accessibility, including enhancing partnerships with community colleges and local institutions of higher education as safe, accessible satellite sites. He also mentioned improving public transit to make these institutions more accessible.

In response to automatic voter registration, Brady favored a more local approach to vote by mail, citing previous failures of the Secretary of State’s office to roll out vote by mail and the protection of voting integrity and personal data as reasons.

 

 

How can students get involved?

Despite their differences in solutions, both candidates expressed that they valued getting young people involved in the political process. 

Moore described his student involvement initiatives and how he aimed to give young people “a seat at the table.” 

“At the end of the day, young people are our next generation of leaders,” Moore said.

Brady talked about how he engaged with the public and has hired young people to involve them in politics.

“[Young people] are very important to the process and need to know and feel welcome in that political process,” Brady said.

Both candidates encouraged students to visit their websites if students want to get involved with their campaigns.

The candidates also encouraged students at the forum to think about who will genuinely respond to them in office.

“I think every candidate should have been here… If they reject you now, they are going to reject you when they get in office,” Moore said.

“I want to make sure that you all know that you have somebody here to listen. You’re going to be able to get in touch with me to help you so that I can hear your voice and your concerns. That I can promise,” Moore continued.

“We talked about engaging young people. We have to show young people you’re important to us,” Brady agreed, saying that he made it a priority to be at the forum.

“If you pride yourself on all service, you have to get out with the public. You have to meet with the people, even if they [disagree with you],” Brady continued.

Both candidates encouraged students to get involved in the upcoming election, whether that is with their campaigns or just through educating themselves and voting on election day.

“I want you to remember that your power as young people is important. When I wake up on February 29, I want to be able to see that this election was decided by those 35 and younger,” Moore said.

The primaries for the Illinois midterm elections are on June 28, 2022. The general election will be held on November 8, 2022. To register to vote and to explore UIC’s resources for voting, visit the Student Leadership and Civic Engagement website’s registration