Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization

Last updated

The Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) is an independent, not-for-profit, Illinois political organization. Often referred to by its acronym, IVI-IPO, has roots dating to 1944, when the Independent Voters of Illinois was founded. In 1979 the IVI merged with the Independent Precinct Organization- IPO was founded by Dick Simpson a few years earlier and had worked to elect him Alderman of the 44th Ward as well as other independent candidates. [1] IPO was founded to support the best candidate for a political position regardless of party affiliation and to effect political and community change through grass roots organizing. Both organizations were and are nonpartisan. IVI states that it is "dedicated to good government activism and an idealistic vision of open, honest government in Illinois through pragmatic means that confront cynicism and corruption with equal force." The organization is organized into geographical "chapters" and, while technically a statewide organization, is concentrated in the Chicago area.

IVI-IPO works on voter registration drives, provides voter information, and supports endorsed candidates. It endorses through a detailed questionnaire to candidates for office, followed by endorsement session vote of the "chapter," followed in some cases, such as larger offices, by a vote of the board of directors. The organization then typically prints and widely distributes, through newsprint flyers and often print media advertisement, a list of its endorsements, with explanations for voters. As the name indicates, the organization at one time attempted to build a precinct organization that was independent of the political parties. By and large, the organization no longer conducts precinct work. The organization also acts as a lobbyist, primarily in the Illinois state legislature, on behalf of governmental reform issues. Its adopted positions are generally liberal, and in recent years the organization, more often than not, endorses Democrats. It also endorses in primary races.

The IVI-IPO supported Harold Washington in the Illinois House of Representatives and as Mayor of Chicago during the 1980s "Council Wars." On January 13, 1996 the IVI-IPO endorsed community organizer Barack Obama early in his first attempt at elected office, his first run for the Illinois Senate. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary contest, whether Barack Obama personally reviewed his answers to an IVI-IPO questionnaire filled out during his 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate became a campaign controversy. [7]

In 2009, the IVI-IPO filed suit claiming the City of Chicago’s 2008 concession agreement for the operation of its parking meters to a private company violated state law. [8]

The current State Chairman of IVI-IPO is Alonso Edgar Zaragoza, who succeeded two-term State Chair Bob Bartell, who also served four terms in the 1990s. [9]

Related Research Articles

Chicago City Council Legislative body for Chicago

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually monthly, to consider ordinances, orders, and resolutions whose subject matter includes code changes, utilities, taxes, and many other issues. The Chicago City Council Chambers are located in Chicago City Hall, as are the downtown offices of the individual aldermen and staff.

<i>Dreams from My Father</i> Book by Barack Obama

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) is a memoir by Barack Obama that explores the events of his early years in Honolulu and Chicago until his entry into Harvard Law School in 1988. Obama originally published his memoir in 1995, when he was starting his political campaign for the Illinois Senate. He had been elected as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in 1990. According to The New York Times, Obama modeled Dreams from My Father on Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man.

2004 United States Senate election in Illinois Election

The 2004 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald decided to retire after one term. The Democratic and Republican primary elections were held in March, which included a total of 15 candidates who combined to spend a record total of over $60 million seeking the open seat.

Toni Preckwinkle 20th- and 21st-century American politician

Toni Lynn Preckwinkle is an American politician and the current Cook County Board President in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was first elected as President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the executive branch of Cook County government, in November 2010 and became the first woman elected to this position. She was previously a five-term alderman in the Chicago City Council, representing Chicago's 4th ward. Preckwinkle was a candidate for Mayor of Chicago in the 2019 election, and advanced to the runoff election, which she lost to Lori Lightfoot.

2008 United States presidential election in Iowa Election in Iowa

The 2008 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 4, 2008, as part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama

Barack Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, when he was elected to the United States Senate. During this part of his career, Obama continued teaching constitutional law part time at the University of Chicago Law School as he had done as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.

Alice J. Palmer is an American educator and politician who served as a member of the Illinois Senate. Known as a longtime progressive activist, Palmer represented the state's 13th Senate District from June 6, 1991, until January 8, 1997. At the time, the district spanned an economically diverse area and included the Chicago communities of Hyde Park, South Shore and Englewood.

Bill Ayers 2008 presidential election controversy

During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, controversy broke out regarding Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a former leader of the Weather Underground, a radical left organization in the 1970s. Investigations by CNN, The New York Times and other news organizations concluded that Obama did not have a close relationship with Ayers.

Dan Seals (politician)

Daniel "Dan" Joseph Seals is an American business consultant and a Democratic politician from Illinois. Seals was the Democratic nominee in three campaigns to become U.S. Representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district. In 2006 and 2008, he was defeated by the incumbent Mark Kirk. In his third run, he was defeated by Republican candidate Robert Dold, on November 2, 2010, after Kirk vacated the seat to successfully run for the U.S. Senate.

2008 United States presidential election in Illinois Election in Illinois

The 2008 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Pat Dowell

Pat Dowell is a member of the Chicago City Council representing 3rd ward of the City of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Dowell was elected in April 2007 in a runoff election against incumbent Dorothy Tillman. Dowell had lost to Tillman in 2003. Dowell is a member of the City Council's Housing and Real Estate, Transportation and the Public Way, Landmarks, Rules and Health committees.

2000 Illinoiss 1st congressional district election

The 2000 United States House of Representatives election for the 1st district in Illinois took place on November 7, 2000 to elect a representative from Illinois's 1st congressional district for the 107th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic Representative Bobby Rush faced a primary challenge from Illinois Senator and future President Barack Obama. Rush defeated Obama 61 percent to 30 percent, with other candidates combining for the remaining nine percent. Rush later defeated his Republican opponent, Raymond Wardingley, 88 percent to 12 percent, ensuring his reelection. Subsequent to this election, Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004, and later elected President in 2008.

Illinois Senate elections of Barack Obama

Barack Obama won three Illinois Senate elections. The Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama began in 1997 after his first election in 1996 to a two-year term in the Illinois Senate representing Illinois' 13th Legislative District in Chicago. He was re-elected in 1998 to a four-year term and re-elected again in 2002 to another four-year term. He resigned from the Illinois Senate in 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate. He resigned from the U.S. Senate following his election in 2008 to become the 44th President of the United States in 2009.

2015 Chicago mayoral election

An election took place on February 24, 2015, to elect the mayor of Chicago. The election was non-partisan and no candidate received a majority. A runoff election was held between the top two finishers on April 7, 2015, and resulted in the reelection of incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel. The elections were concurrent with the 2015 Chicago aldermanic elections.

2016 United States Senate election in Illinois

The 2016 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

2020 United States Senate election in Illinois

The 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections and the Illinois Fair Tax. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who had been Senate Minority Whip since 2015, won reelection to a fifth term in office, defeating Republican nominee Mark Curran.

2018 Illinois Attorney General election

The 2018 Illinois Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Attorney General of Illinois. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who had served since 2003, did not seek re-election to a fifth term. Democrat Kwame Raoul won the election with 55 percent of the vote, while Republican Erika Harold took 43 percent of the vote.

2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois 2020 House elections in Illinois, US

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 18 U.S. Representatives from the state of Illinois, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, various state and local elections, and the Illinois Fair Tax.

The Democratic Socialist Caucus of the Chicago City Council is a bloc of aldermen in the Chicago City Council. The block was unofficially organized as the Socialist Caucus in 2019, and later organized as a formal caucus with its current name in 2021. It currently has five members, out of the 50 aldermen that comprise the Council. Members of the caucus identify as democratic socialists.

2020 Cook County, Illinois elections American election

The Cook County, Illinois general election was held on November 3, 2020. Elections was held for Clerk of the Circuit Court, State's Attorney, Cook County Board Of Review district 1, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

References

  1. ↑ "Dick Simpson biography". Chicago Sun-Times. January 1, 2001. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009.
  2. ↑ Oclander, Jorge (1995-04-02). "Loss of clout dims IVI-IPO's fate". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 22. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  3. ↑ "IVI-IPO endorses Palmer for 2nd District seat". Hyde Park Herald. 1995-11-08. p. 3. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  4. ↑ Knapp, Kevin (1996-01-17). "Primary ballot gets face-lift from board". Hyde Park Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  5. ↑ Knapp, Kevin (1996-01-31). "Local independent voters still divided". Hyde Park Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 2011-11-28. Palmer's decision to seek reelection split the small army of Hyde Park's independent voters into two camps. While a few IVI/IPO stalwarts, including Ald. Barbara Holt (5th) chose to back Palmer's rushed reelection campaign, many chose instead to support candidate Barack Obama—just as Palmer had urged them to do last September when Obama first announced he was seeking Palmer's job.
  6. ↑ Mendelson, Saul; Friedberg-Dobry, Louise (1996-02-07). "Letters to the editor: Independents defend their pre-election work". Hyde Park Herald. p. 4. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  7. ↑ Vogel, Kenneth P. "Obama had greater role on liberal survey" The Politico, Mar. 31, 2008, accessed 6/20/2010
  8. ↑ "Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct v. State of Illinois" (PDF). Circuit Court of Cook County, IL. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  9. ↑ Smith, Jeff (2008-07-22). "Bob Bartell New IVI-IPO Chief". Prairie State Blue. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.