[Peace] MORE FLYERING: township referendum

[Randall Cotton]

Many thanks for help from Conrad Wetzel, Barbara Kessel, Doug Olive, Ricky
Baldwin and Green Party County Board candidate Walter Pituc (who is
distributing the township flyer along with his own, all afternoon). The
flyering on campus went very well this morning and afternoon. Well over
1000 flyers have gone out so far, but most of the 3000 flyers are still
waiting to be distributed.

We've now set up a new flyering run for late afternoon until sundown at
the Champaign Wal-Mart up on North Prospect (flyering has been done at
this location before, with good results - no need to worry about Wal-Mart
running us off - the flyering isn't actually done on their property).

Start time is 3:30PM. Barbara Kessel and Bobbi Trist will be joining me -
but we could really use some more folks. I'll be out there at least as
long as anyone else can stay.

Stop by for a while after work if you can - please give a call if you can
help out - 722-8470.
R

PS: Also please let me know if you can flyer polling places tomorrow so I
can get flyers to you ahead of time. Details are repeated below for this
effort. Thanks to Don McClure and Conrad Wetzel who have volunteered to
help with this. We could really use many many more folks on this, though -
hope you'll consider helping out.

Details on polling place flyering:

This flyering will be extremely effective - everyone that crosses
your path will definitely be voting - none will be from Urbana, or an
early voter, or not registered, or not a citizen - you'll have a 100% hit
rate on Champaign voters before they actually vote 8-) Again, weather will
be ideal - sunny and 72. And if there is a line to vote, folks will even
have extra time to read the flyer.

As you might be aware, there are limitations on what is commonly referred
to as "electioneering", but it is absolutely permitted, even protected, so
long as you follow the rules. Here's the lowdown, with quotes from state
law:

Vote solicitation of any kind or even just engaging in political
discussion is prohibited within the "campaign free zone", which is
anywhere inside a 100 foot radius of the polling place. The boundary of
the "campaign free zone" must be marked by "2 or more cones, small United
States national flags, or some other marker" by election officers. But the
area just outside the campaign zone, "whether publicly or privately owned,
is a public forum for the time that the polls are open on an election day"
and "a person shall have the right to congregate and engage in
electioneering on any polling place property while the polls are open
beyond the campaign free zone" and furthermore the law "shall be construed
liberally in favor of persons engaging in electioneering on all polling
place property beyond the campaign free zone for the time that the polls
are open on an election day."

There are two important exceptions:
1. If a private business, a public or private school, or a church hosts a
polling place and 100 feet away from the polling place is still within the
building, then the campaign-free zone extends to the building entrance
(and the markers would be placed just outside that building entrance).
2. A church or private school hosting a polling place may choose to
prohibit electioneering on its entire property (in which the markers will
be at the edge of the property)..

For reference, I've included the pertinent state law at the end of this
message.

The Champaign County Clerk's site lists the polling places and even
indicates which sites prohibit electioneering anywhere on the property (as
per exception 2 above). It may not be worth it, in my opinion, to try and
flyer at these sites which ban electioneering anywhere on the property. So
here is a list of polling places that *don't* prohibit electioneering on
the entire property. The list is ranked by the number of ballots cast in
the 2006 election (data also obtained from the Champaign County Clerk
site). The polling places that appear higher (first) on the list can be
expected to have more voters than the ones that appear lower (last) on the
list. The upshot is that the polling places listed first are more
important than ones listed later (the list below is the corrected list of
polling places that do NOT prohibit electioneering on the entire
property).

Polls will be open 6AM to 7PM. I'm guessing the busiest times should be
6AM-9AM, 11:30AM to 1:30PM and 4PM to 7PM.

Please contact me if you can help and I'll gladly get ample flyers to you
somehow.

Format of the list is
precinct #, site name, entrance details (if any), address

37, Carpenters' Local No. 44 402 S Duncan Rd, Ch.
34, Parkland College Theater Lobby, Use Parking Lot C, 2400 W Bradley Ave,
Ch.
35, Bresnan Meeting Center 706 Kenwood Rd, Ch.
13, E.H. Mellon Adm. Ctr. 703 S New, Ch.
20, Grace Lutheran Church 313 S Prospect Ave, Ch.
18, Farm Bureau 801 Country Fair Dr, Ch.
17, Garden Hills Baptist Church 1601 Bloomington Rd, Ch.
5, Snyder Hall Lounge 206 E Peabody, Ch.
27, Champaign Church of Christ, South Entrance, 1509 W John, Ch.
31, Leonhard Recreation Center, Main Entrance, 2112 Sangamon, Ch.
6, Stratton Elementary School, Northwest Entrance 1st door Closest to
Street, 902 N Randolph, Champaign, IL 61820
10, Stratton Elementary School, Northwest Entrance 1st Door Closest to
Street, 902 N Randolph, Ch.
25, Hays Center 1311 W Church, Ch.
9, IL Employment and Training Ctr. 1307 N Mattis, Champaign, IL 61821
14, E.H. Mellon Adm. Ctr. 703 S New, Ch.
4, University YMCA 1001 S Wright St, Ch.
1, Douglass Center Annex 804 N Fifth St, Champaign, IL 61820
28, Champaign Church of Christ, South Entrance, 1509 W John, Ch.
7, Skelton Place Community Room 302 S 2nd St, Champaign, IL 61820
2, Illini Union Pine Lounge 1401 W Green St, Urb.
3, Illini Union Pine Lounge 1401 W Green St, Urb.
8, Rehabilitation Education Ctr. 1207 S Oak, Ch.

Pertinent Illinois law:

(10 ILCS 5/17-29) (from Ch. 46, par. 17-29)
    Sec. 17-29. (a) No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person
shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of
votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place,
within 100 feet of any polling place, or, at the option of a church or
private school, on any of the property of that church or private school
that is a polling place; no person shall interrupt, hinder or oppose any
voter while approaching within those areas for the purpose of voting.
Judges of election shall enforce the provisions of this Section.
    (b) Election officers shall place 2 or more cones, small United States
national flags, or some other marker a distance of 100 horizontal feet
from each entrance to the room used by voters to engage in voting, which
shall be known as the polling room. If the polling room is located within
a building that is a private business, a public or private school, or a
church or other organization founded for the purpose of religious worship
and the distance of 100 horizontal feet ends within the interior of the
building, then the markers shall be placed outside of the building at each
entrance used by voters to enter that building on the grounds adjacent to
the thoroughfare or walkway. If the polling room is located within a
public or private building with 2 or more floors and the polling room is
located on the ground floor, then the markers shall be placed 100
horizontal feet from each entrance to the polling room used by voters to
engage in voting. If the polling room is located in a public or private
building with 2 or more floors and the polling room is located on a floor
above or below the ground floor, then the markers shall be placed a
distance of 100 feet from the nearest elevator or staircase used by voters
on the ground floor to access the floor where the polling room is located.
The area within where the markers are placed shall be known as a campaign
free zone, and electioneering is prohibited pursuant to this subsection.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, a church or private
school may choose to apply the campaign free zone to its entire property,
and, if so, the markers shall be placed near the boundaries on the grounds
adjacent to the thoroughfares or walkways leading to the entrances used by
the voters.
    The area on polling place property beyond the campaign free zone,
whether publicly or privately owned, is a public forum for the time that
the polls are open on an election day. At the request of election officers
any publicly owned building must be made available for use as a polling
place. A person shall have the right to congregate and engage in
electioneering on any polling place property while the polls are open
beyond the campaign free zone, including but not limited to, the placement
of temporary signs. This subsection shall be construed liberally in favor
of persons engaging in electioneering on all polling place property beyond
the campaign free zone for the time that the polls are open on an election
day. At or near the door of each polling place, the election judges shall
place signage indicating the proper entrance to the polling place. In
addition, the election judges shall ensure that a sign identifying the
location of the polling place is placed on a nearby public roadway. The
State Board of Elections shall establish guidelines for the placement of
polling place signage.
    (c) The regulation of electioneering on polling place property on an
election day, including but not limited to the placement of temporary
signs, is an exclusive power and function of the State. A home rule unit
may not regulate electioneering and any ordinance or local law contrary to
subsection (c) is declared void. This is a denial and limitation of home
rule powers and functions under subsection (h) of Section 6 of Article VII
of the Illinois Constitution.