There’s an important election coming up in November, one that could shape our lives for decades, and almost no one is talking about it.

No, we’re not talking about the presidential race—most of our readers, we hope, are well aware of what’s at stake in that election.

We’re talking about another decision Illinois voters face on the November ballot: Whether or not to call for a constitutional convention to rewrite our state’s constitution.

Every 20 years, that question goes before the voters. Our current constitution, which went into effect almost four decades ago, is the product of just such a convention.

For gays and lesbians here, there are compelling arguments in favor of a convention. State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Equality Illinois leaders are pushing House Bill 1826 this session in Springfield, a measure that would legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples in Illinois. It may well pass this year.

On the other hand, it may not, given the near impossibility of getting anything through the General Assembly these days. If it doesn’t, a constitutional convention could solve the inequity faced by gay and lesbian couples by writing civil unions into our state’s laws or, better yet, by giving us full marriage equality and putting gay and lesbian relationships on an equal footing with opposite-sex relationships.

A constitutional convention could also address our woefully inadequate healthcare system by writing a sensible single-payer, universal healthcare plank into the state constitution. That would aid many in our community who face lifelong issues dealing with AIDS. It would also help the many small GLBT community businesses that are struggling mightily to afford excessive annual increases in the cost of health insurance for their employees.

There are those who are going to argue against a constitutional convention by telling us that such a convention would be too dangerous for GLBTs, that radical anti-gay forces would seize control of the convention and pass constitutional bans on gay marriage and on laws outlawing discrimination against GLBTs.

That’s a pretty defeatist attitude. No one ever accomplished anything good by kowtowing to fear. We live in one of the “blue-ist” of “Blue States.” If anti-gay kooks want to base their campaigns to be delegates at an Illinois Constitutional Convention on limiting the rights of gays, we’ll be happy to take them on, just as we took on Alan Keyes, Glenn Poshard and other candidates who espoused anti-gay positions in recent years.

There will also be those who will argue that we can fix our state government without a convention, that we just need the Legislature to pass the necessary reforms. Frankly, it should be pretty obvious to all but the most delusional that reform is not going to come from Springfield.

We need real change. Our state’s political system is so broken and so thoroughly corrupted that only radical changes written into the Illinois Constitution can fix it. We’re talking about such things as term limits for every state and local office, requirements that state obligations such as pensions be fully funded, a binding provision mandating balanced budgets and strict bans on corporate funding of political campaigns. And, yes, equal rights for gay and lesbian couples.

Don’t let anyone scare us out of seizing this opportunity to take control of our government. Politics and government in Illinois are in sad shape. The politicians have proven that they cannot and will not do anything to change a system that keeps them in power and keeps their friends’ pockets lined with graft. A constitutional convention is our best chance for change.