A bill moving through the Illinois House should help prevent the confusion that prevailed at several University of Illinois campus polling places last November.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, and supported by Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden, would allow first-time voters who have registered to vote to offer as proof of identification a college-issued identification card along with either a piece of mail or an apartment lease.

"I think it will be excellent," said Shelden, a Republican. "We've discussed this after the elections in 2004, 2006 and 2008, and it's finally percolated to the legislative level."

Jakobsson said the bill cleared the House Elections Committee unanimously, and she doesn't expect any problems in the full House.

"I think it's going to allow the students to know what they need to bring to the polling place with them," she said. "And it will help the election judges, too. It's going to be beneficial to everybody."

Esther Patt, a former Urbana City Council member who coordinates the Tenant Union at the Illini Union, said she knew of several voters who were turned away from polling places at the Union because they were told they didn't have proper identification.

"This is good," she said. "As long as people can offer proof that they live at an address, they should be allowed to vote."

Disclosure loophole

Interested in knowing how much the four candidates for mayor of Urbana have raised, and where they're getting their campaign money? Be patient. You'll have to wait until about two weeks before Election Day.

That's how worthwhile and illuminating Illinois' campaign-disclosure laws are to voters.

The state board of elections' campaign calendar requires candidates in the April 7 municipal election to file their pre-election report (covering the period up to March 8) as late as March 23 – two weeks before the election.

Only if candidates get a contribution of $500 or more during the period between March 9 and April 6 do they have to file an updated report. Even then, they have two business days to file the report.

In these days of nearly instantaneous communication, there's no reason (aside from Illinois' loophole-riddled campaign-disclosure laws) that voters shouldn't have more immediate access to this information. It's something the various campaign-reform groups should demand from the Legislature this spring.

Back to Urbana's mayoral race. Two of the candidates haven't filed a disclosure report yet this year and two have filed reports that are, for all practical purposes, useless. Republican Rex Bradfield and Green Party candidate Durl Kruse haven't filed a report. Mayor Laurel Prussing, a Democrat, disclosed that she has $3,000. Independent candidate Rob McColley said his committee has $2.12. In neither case is the source of the campaign funds disclosed.

Kirk's Champaign connection

The potential Republican candidate for U.S. Senate has a substantial connection to Champaign County. He was born here 48 years ago at Burnham Hospital.

"For the first year and a half of my life," he explained Sunday before speaking at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner of the Champaign County Republicans, "we lived in a 28-foot aluminum tube home at the Shadowwood trailer park" on North Market Street in Champaign. The family lived at 25 Magnolia Drive, Kirk said, while his father attended business school at the University of Illinois and his mother worked on the Illiac computer system. Kirk's father later went to work for the phone company and the family lived in Harvey, Chatham, Downers Grove and in New Jersey.

There are Kirks all over central Illinois, the congressman said, including in a tiny town in Moultrie County, west of Sullivan, called Kirksville.

Fred Welch

Condolences to the family of Fred Welch, the retired University of Illinois soil scientist who was a wonderfully civil man and the founder of the Active Senior Republicans of Champaign County. Mr. Welch died Friday, two days before the annual Lincoln Day Dinner of his beloved party.

"There are few community events I can remember that didn't have Fred and (his wife) Marilyn smiling proudly and carrying the Republican banner – sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively," said GOP county Chairman Jason Barickman. "To an unknown stranger, Fred couldn't resist a simple, non-intrusive handshake coupled with a 'Hi, I'm Fred Welch.' He was an inspiration to the young and young at heart, helping give purpose to the many of us seeking political involvement."

Shelden, also a Republican, called Mr. Welch a "bold" Republican.

"He stepped up and didn't listen to the naysayers, or those who said it couldn't be done. He jumped in and got it done," Shelden said.

In remarks at Lincoln Day Dinner, U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, called Mr. Welch "one of the most decent human beings I'd known in my life."

Indeed, Mr. Welch, 77, was polite and gentlemanly even as he chewed out a reporter. He was a good man.

Tom Kacich is a News-Gazette editor and columnist. His column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays. He can be reached at 351-5221 or at kacich<@>news-gazette.com.