While Illinois in recent general presidential elections has been flyover country due to its solid status as a blue state, the preparations necessary ahead of the March 19 primary still provide an organizational test for campaigns.
The nitty-gritty details of the presidential primary process start Saturday, when candidates’ campaigns can begin seeking signatures from voters to place both the presidential hopefuls and candidates for national nominating delegates on the ballot.
With President Joe Biden facing no serious opposition to renomination on the Democratic side, the focus will be on the Republican primary. Former President Donald Trump has become the early front-runner for the nomination against a host of challengers.
Given its place on the primary calendar, it’s possible Illinois will not even be relevant in the Republican presidential nominating process by the time the primary rolls around.
Super Tuesday is March 5, two weeks before Illinois’ primary. Fifteen GOP primaries and caucuses will be held that day, including contests in delegate-heavy California and Texas. If Super Tuesday fails to decide the matter, Illinois’ primary day is shared with the key presidential election states of Ohio and Florida, whose governor, Ron DeSantis, is among those trying to upset Trump.
The Republican primary process in Illinois is fairly simple. Voters get to select their preferred candidate for the nomination. Separately, they select three nominating delegates, who are either pledged to a candidate or listed as uncommitted, from each of the state’s 17 congressional districts.
Voters also will select the same number of alternate delegates, who serve if a nominated delegate cannot participate in the GOP national convention in Milwaukee in July.
If more than three delegate candidates pledged to a single presidential contender file to appear on the ballot, the presidential campaign will decide the delegate slate.
In addition to the 51 elected delegates, another 10 at-large delegates will be named at the state Republican Party convention in May. In addition, state GOP Chair Don Tracy and the state’s GOP national committeeman and committeewoman are automatically delegates.
Unlike the elected GOP delegates, the 13 party officials and at-large delegates are pledged to support the winner of the presidential preference voting, known in election-speak as a “beauty contest.”
Presidential candidates must submit petitions signed by at least 3,000 and no more than 5,000 voters. The signature requirement for GOP delegate candidates varies for each congressional district based on previous Republican turnout.
The number of necessary signatures ranges from as few as 136 in the sprawling, heavily Democratic Chicago and suburban district of Democratic U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, to more than 1,000 signatures from voters in the heavily Republican downstate congressional districts of U.S. Reps. Mike Bost of Murphysboro and Mary Miller of Oakland.
The presidential campaigns, both Republican and Democratic, file their primary nominating petitions with the State Board of Elections on Jan. 4 and 5.
While Biden’s path for renomination appears clear at this point, the Democratic delegate selection process is made more complex by the party’s inclusion and outreach efforts aimed at race, sexual identity, youth and people with disabilities.
A total of 178 nominating delegates from Illinois will be attending the party’s national convention in Chicago in August. Of those, 96 will be elected in the March primary from the state’s congressional districts.
Candidates for delegate must get at least 500 signatures from within the congressional district in which they are running, with the number of delegates selected by voters per district varying from three to eight based on past Democratic turnout.
Delegates selected are apportioned by the presidential preference vote from within the congressional district and also are chosen in an effort to provide an even number of men and women. Candidates who identify as nonbinary are counted separately.
As with Republicans, the Democratic presidential candidate can remove delegates who are not approved by the campaign.
After voters select the 96 district delegates, they will meet on April 29 to approve 32 at-large delegates and 19 party leaders and elected officials such as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and the state’s 14 U.S. House members and Democratic National Committee members from Illinois are among another group of 31 automatic delegates.
The Democratic National Committee has made diversity recommendations for state delegations and the Democratic Party of Illinois has set goals to exceed those numbers by 15%, in part through at-large delegates chosen in April.
The state party’s delegate diversity goals aim for 47 Blacks, 36 Latinos, 10 Asian Americans, 12 members of the LGBTQ community, 26 people with disabilities and 65 young voters.