Politicians are quick to respond to polls they agree with or ones that will help them get elected or re-elected.

They are not as quick to acknowledge polls that could cause them trouble.

But they shouldn't easily dismiss results from a poll showing Illinoisans want political and electoral reform -- real reform.

The poll conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University found that almost two-thirds of registered voters surveyed support limits on how much money political party leaders can give to candidates in legislative races.

The poll also found that more than 70 percent of voters want state campaign contribution limits to match federal rules.

And more than 75 percent think there should be term limits on legislative leadership positions.

Fewer than 20 percent like the way Illinois redraws its legislative districts every 10 years.

We could go on, but you get the idea -- even if House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton don't: Illinoisans aren't just ready for reform, they want it to be meaningful and they want it now.

The poll results closely follow several recommendations of the Illinois Reform Commission, which was appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn after he replaced Rod Blagojevich.

Among other things, the Reform Commission recommended "imposing limits on contributions to political campaigns from all sources" and "adopting pending legislation that would impose term limits on legislative leadership positions," as well as "substantially reforming the State's redistricting process."

Similar suggestions have been made by a coalition of reform groups under the banner of Change Illinois and by the Paul Simon Institute.

The poll results show reformers are on the right track, even if key legislative leaders have failed to get on board.

Voters don't have to wait until Election Day to reinforce the message, although that's when "poll" results really count.

Voters can send out the call for reform through the questions they ask at candidate forums, through letters (including letters to the editor) and calls to legislative and party leaders and by basing their personal campaign contributions on who they think is most likely to bring meaningful reform to Illinois.

The state needs reforms that will end the string of federal indictments of Illinois governors and their inner circle, break the stranglehold of certain legislative leaders and restore public confidence in government (or at least improve that confidence).