Illinois Unaffiliated
Something happened in 2024 that shifted Illinois politics in a way that completely changes the playing field for the 2026 General Election. And it happened so quietly that even many long-time Illinois political operatives didn’t realize it until just now.
All across the United States, we hear voices expressing the same frustrations. Our two-party system has failed to deliver what everyday Americans need most: the rights, freedoms, and protections promised by our Constitution, and a quality of life that makes our futures look bright. Voters want to be hopeful, but are instead feeling the discouragement of a system stacked against the working class in favor of the rich and powerful. Establishment politicians keep telling us to be patient, to trust them, that they know best. We get to vote in primaries and general elections, but party insiders really choose which candidates get access to the right networks for campaign funds and visibility. Today, we’ve been handed a new opportunity.
Here’s what happened: In 2024, ahead of the General Election, Illinois lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2412, a controversial law designed to eliminate “slating.” Essentially, if a party didn’t run a candidate on the Primary Election ballot, they could historically still put a candidate on the General Election ballot via the “slating” process. Slating involved a vote to approve the candidate by the relevant party Chairs, and the candidate needed to collect a relatively small number of signatures. Senate Bill 2412 removed this option. Governor JB Pritzker signed it into law in May of 2024, after the Primary had ended and while General Election hopefuls were in the midst of collecting signatures to be “slated” onto the fall ballot.
The Republican party sued, arguing that the timing was unfair, as the slating process was already in progress when the bill was passed. The Illinois State Supreme Court sided with the Republicans, and slating was allowed to proceed for the 2024 General Election. The dust settled, and everyone moved on. Most without realizing that the Court’s decision only affected the 2024 ballot. SB 2412 remained in effect for all subsequent elections.
We learned about this situation after the 2026 Illinois Primary, when Illinois House District 94’s long-time Republican representative, Norine Hammond, was defeated by far Right extremist, Josh Higgins. The Democrats hadn’t run a candidate on the 2026 Primary ballot. In recent years, Democrat John Curtis had challenged Hammond twice, and fell just short both times. Democrats felt that if a smart and popular candidate like Curtis couldn’t beat Hammond, then nobody could. Hammond was just moderate enough on certain issues, that she was deemed undefeatable…by a Democrat.
A race against Higgins, however, is an entirely different story. In addition to being aligned with the increasingly-unpopular MAGA movement, Higgins has a disturbing arrest record for domestic violence. A Democrat’s chances against Higgins might have seemed quite postive. Except for one small issue: The Democratic Party can’t run ANYONE against Higgins in 2026 because SB 2412 eliminated slating. So, is Higgins (and every other extremist whose race did not have an opponent on the other party’s Illinois Primary ballot) guaranteed to win the seat? Or does this conundrum have a silver lining?
Indivisible of West Central Illinois, like our sister groups around the country, is not beholden to any political party. We are interested in issues that will help ordinary Americans, and we work to push the major parties to bring legislation that will achieve our goals. We occasionally endorse candidates who meet very specific, issues-based criteria. But, all too often, the candidates with the best chances of winning don’t align closely enough with our goals.
We are choosing to see the Illinois SB 2412 situation as a rare opportunity. Parties can’t “slate” candidates, but, if “Unaffiliated” candidates can gather enough signatures, their names can be listed as alternate options on the General Election ballot.
We are mobilizing to place new, “Unaffiliated” candidates on ballots in otherwise-uncontested races across the state of Illinois. But, to do this, we need to act quickly. And we need your help. House District 94 has some very active volunteers. We are going to ask for help with that race, but also provide details on the process with the hope that some of you in other areas will try a similar approach.
Please follow our page for updates on the process. And spread the word that we are actively seeking candidates and will be needing volunteers to collect signatures in Illinois’ 94th, and any other districts that follow suit. In the 94th, we will need to select a candidate and collect more than 2,500 signatures before May 26th. It’s a fast timeline, but we believe it can be done.
Can Illinois Unaffiliated candidates win otherwise uncontested races in the 2026 General Election? No guarantees. All we know is that we definitely won’t win if we don’t try.
Join us!
