Will County Gazette

Will County Board member Raquel Mitchell is sounding the alarm on the Truth In Politics Act, which critics say would limit free speech. 

“Were this law to be meted out objectively and without prejudice, it would hurt the Democrats more," Mitchell told Will County Gazette. "I fear this would be legalized censorship and curtailing of free speech, also known as the quieting of opinions the left doesn't like."

HB5850 was introduced by State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback (D-Skokie), who is in her final days in the chamber after losing a primary battle earlier this year.  

The Edgar County Watchdogs noted the bill “would criminalize certain speech directed at political campaigns. The bill prescribes criminal and civil penalties for certain election speech and adds speech requirements for political campaigns. Let’s hope this bill goes nowhere.”

Also known as the Truth In Politics Act, the bill would criminalize speech. Those found guilty of a violation can be charged with a class A criminal misdemeanor or be subject to civil litigation.

State Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) has bashed the legislation, calling it a “direct attack on the right to free speech.” 

“Make no mistake, HB5850 is a direct attack on the right to free speech,” Plummer said in a press release. “The voters have the ultimate authority to hold politicians accountable for what they say and do, exactly as it should be. Free and open elections are the foundation of our democracy. It is truly frightening that anyone would support the idea of empowering bureaucrats to decide to only allow speech they agree with. Worse yet, this bill wouldn’t just apply to candidates, it would also go after citizens for speaking their minds. Offending overly sensitive people is the lesser of two evils compared to violating the constitutional rights of Illinoisans. The freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our nation and I will always be vigilant in defending it.” 

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and Senate Minority Leader John Curran have remained silent on a bill thus far.

During the 2022 campaign, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was able to effectively muzzle opponents by threatening outlets. LGIS's own publication run was briefly halted after the Pritzker campaign threatened the Daily Herald, which is the owner of the press that was printing the newspapers. Pritzker also intimidated NBC and WGN into pulling a Beverly Miles campaign advertisement accusing Pritzker of terminating her for political reasons.