Illinois law also provides a method of filling nomination vacancies. This is based on election of local party officials at the primary. When these party officials fill vacancies, their voting is weighted based on the number of primary voters in the area they represent. In effect, vacancies can be filled by a indirect process akin to a convention where the delegates are selected by party voters.

This does not preclude or interfere with a separate membership-based organization acting by consensus or otherwise, from recruiting, supporting, or funding favored candidates.

As an Illinoisian Green, how our local area party slates candidates is that the legally recognized slating committee in that relevant district has its by-laws state that the committee shall act to the wishes of the Green Party membership in that area. This keeps the power in the hands of the GP members in the area and keeps intact consensus decision making and the integrity of one man, one man.

I wouldn’t call that “a top down process controlled by the party bosses.”

One of the things I would spotlight here is that in none of the four cases was the Democratic objection proper. They all made vague allegations that proper procedure wasn’t followed but provided no evidence thereof. All evidence was based on testimony from the candidates themselves, or from Green Party officials. The effect of this is chilling, because it establishes a precedent where in the future, every single candidate who files can be objected against with impunity, and then those candidates can be hauled into proceedings like this at their own expense and be forced to prove they didn’t do anything wrong, even though the burden of proof isn’t legally on them.

The decision of whether or not to go to court is up to each of the candidates, not the party. I don’t know what the candidates are intending.

It’s probably more due to the Greens not having the same organizational strength as the Democrats and Republicans than some sort of nefarious intention. They just achieved major party status in the 2006 election.

When precinct committeemen fill candidate vacancies, their vote is weighted based on the number of person’s voting in the party primary in their jurisdiction, in effect making the vacancy process a form of indirect primary.

It sounds like the Green Party is trying to turn a bottom up procedure into a top down process controlled by the party bosses.

Dennis, other Greens removed from ballot
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/06/09/news/doc484dbbdab7e86793490814.txt
By Kenneth Lowe
Kenneth.lowe@lee.net
Bloomington Pentagraph
Monday, June 9, 2008 7:37 PM CDT

Three Green Party candidates removed from ballot
By David Beery | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 6/10/2008 12:03 AM
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=205191&src=2