The last two elected governors of Illinois have ended their political careers with criminal indictments. U.S. Attorneys have successfully prosecuted more than 400 other Illinois public officials in recent years. Each conviction plainly demonstrates the need to change the political culture of corruption in Illinois. Legislation has not yet gone far enough in addressing this vital concern. Several opportunities for reform have been proposed: (1) campaign finance, (2) direct democracy, (3) term limits, and (4) redistricting.

Methods of election campaign financing have long been a subject of ethics reform discussions. However, Illinois remains one of the least regulated states in the nation in this area. Until December 9, 2009 when Governor Quinn signed S.B. 1466, Illinois had no campaign contribution limits. Those now in place represent a compromise that limits most donations in an election cycle, but allows legislative leaders and political parties to contribute without limit during general elections. The law increases disclosure, contributions of $1,000 or more being reported immediately. The legislation has an effective date of January 1, 2011. Thus, the February 2010 primary is unaffected and the law will be in limited force for the general election.

Some have encouraged policies that would move Illinois toward direct democracy, such as giving voters the ability to recall a governor, initiate legislation, or vote on referenda. An amendment to the Illinois constitution will be on the November 2010 ballot that would provide recall power to Illinois citizens. While it is a step toward direct democracy, this provision is unusually onerous in its demands to initiate a recall vote, including requiring 20 state representatives and 10 state senators from both political parties to agree to a recall proposal. This is hardly unfettered direct democracy.

Term limits are a popular way of discouraging corruption and spreading political power. Term limits in the legislature would increase turnover and limit the influence of senior members of a chamber, while gubernatorial limits could limit any one executive from unduly remaining in power.

Redistricting is important in every U.S. state, but especially in Illinois where the process is increasingly controversial. The party that controls the redistricting process usually controls the legislature for a decade. Reformers have recommended regulation requiring legislators to draw districts that respect the integrity of existing geographic entities. These rules could stop Illinois politicians from gerrymandering political districts to suit the interests of one or the other party.

It also should be noted that higher education offers an important venue in which to promote ethics and reform the Illinois political culture. Not only are Illinois universities where many of our future leaders are trained, but also their faculty and staff can provide academic work supporting ethics initiatives. One proposal would create an “Integrity Index” that could quantify corruption in the state and encourage ethical behavior by mobilizing interested citizens and reform groups.

Can we change Illinois’ culture of corruption? Yes. Reform will be incremental, but policies like those outlined above, utilizing the special role of higher education in our state, can work toward better governance for the people of Illinois.