For the second election in a row, Illinois will be holding its primary election date in early February. The State Board of Elections says the Feb 2nd date this year is the earliest in state history. Illinois moved the primary to February in 2008, which state leaders admitted was an effort to have more of a say in the presidential primaries.

Governor Quinn has suggested that the legislature move the primary back to September to shorten the election season. He said this would keep government more focused on governing and reduce spending on elections. This, however, may just be a way that Quinn is trying to better his chances at taking the ticket himself.

But the legislature never granted his request. Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool thinks that House Speaker Michael Madigan is favoring incumbents by keeping the primary during one of the coldest times of the year.

So does Claypool have a point? I tried to find out when our neighboring states were holding their elections to see if Illinois was really any different.

I initially thought that Wisconsin held its primary in the winter as well. A quick glance at their website would indicate that theirprimary is held on February 16th, but that’s not the case. Wisconsin only holds the election of non-partisan positions earlier in the year. This mostly includes judges and a few select county positions. The primary elections for major state positions won’t be held until August 17th.

Wisconsin isn’t the only state who enjoys sunny primaries either. To be fair, some states hold their presidential primaries earlier in the year. Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Kentucky all did. But this year they’ve switched the dates back along with the rest of Illinois’ neighbors:

• Michigan- August 3rd
• Indiana- May 4th
• Iowa-June8th
• Missouri-August 3rd
• Kentucky-May 8th

In a staunchly blue state like Illinois, it’s not uncommon for candidates to focus on winning the Democratic primary than the general election. I was covering U.S. Representative Mike Quigley’s election party at the Red Ivy on the night of the special election primary last year.  When the results of the primary came in, his chief of staff didn’t beat around the bush. She introduced him on stage as the next 5th district U.S. Representative. She didn’t bother mentioning the upcoming special election. It turns out she didn’t need to.

With no presidential primary in play, why can’t Illinois’ voters get a few months extra to learn more about the candidates and avoid a 12 month barrage of election-themed marketing?