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I. EQUITY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING
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In
Brown
v.
Board of Education
(1954), the U.S. Supreme Court said "it is doubtful that any child may
reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an
education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it,
is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms." However, the
Court later held in
San Antonio
v.
Rodriguez
(1973) that education is not considered a "fundamental right" protected by the
federal constitution. Instead, education is a responsibility of the state
governments, who also have the primary responsibility for funding it.
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1. Should the following amendment to the Constitution of the United States be
adopted? "All persons eighteen years of age or younger shall enjoy the right to
a public education of equal high quality. The Congress shall have the power to
enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
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Yes
No
Don't know
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2. Should the Illinois General Assembly enact a law committing the State to
fund public education before all other state programs?
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Yes
No
Don't know
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II. VOTING RIGHTS FOR EX-FELONS
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In the United States, the right to vote may not be abridged or denied by a
state or the federal government because of race, sex, or failure to pay a poll
[or head] tax. However, states can deny the right to vote to individuals guilty
of a crime. Nationally, over four million Americans are denied this right as a
result of state laws that prohibit voting by ex-felons. In 11 states, a felony
conviction can result in a lifetime voting ban. Even in states where voting is
restored, the process is often so difficult that few ex-felons are able to take
advantage of it. Under current law, the federal government may not infringe
upon a state's authority to grant or deny voting rights to prison inmates and
former felons.
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3. Should Congress create a law to automatically restore voting rights to
persons once they have completed a felony prison sentence?
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Yes
No
Don't know
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4. Should Illinois formally notify each convicted person of the restoration of
their right to vote upon release from confinement and formally notify all state
and local election officials of this right?
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Yes
No
Don't know
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III. HOLDING U.S. CITIZENS AS ENEMY COMBATANTS
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Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 by al Qaeda, the United States
captured hundreds of persons and designated them "enemy combatants." Under this
policy, the President determines who is an enemy combatant and places them in
military detention without charges or access to an attorney. Most enemy
combatants were captured in Afghanistan and are not American citizens. However,
U.S. citizen Jose Padilla was detained at O'Hare International Airport in 2002
and subsequently designated by the President as an enemy combatant. Padilla
allegedly plotted to detonate a "dirty" nuclear bomb. Recently, Padilla's
status was changed without explanation, and he now faces federal felony charges.
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5. Should the President have the power to seize U.S. citizens in civilian
settings whom he identifies as 'enemy combatants' and hold them in military
detention without criminal charge or trial until they are brought before a
neutral decisionmaker who will determine whether this designation is
true?
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Yes
No
I Don't know.
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