Vote for One

Unopposed

It's Leap Day today, and the first day of early voting for the March 15th primary election here in Illinois.  Since today is an "extra day" I decided to take a vacation day from work and take care of a couple of errands, including going to vote.

And, I just won my first election.

I have been on the ballot twice before in non-partisan municipal elections, and the signers of my nomination petitions for those races were a pretty healthy mix of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.  As I have said many times, decisions made by local government have more impact on our daily lives than anything happening in Springfield or Washington D.C., and maintaining that spirit of non-partisanship is key to making municipal government work for everyone.

However, municipalities, park districts, school districts, and water districts also have to operate in the context of the broader county, state, and federal government. This requires having an understanding of the political aspects of governance, and getting involved in the political process. As both a candidate, and as Water District Trustee I have had conversations with State and Federal elected officials on issues of local concern. I've also used those conversations as opportunities to push for a policy or initiative that would benefit the residents of Zion.

After the last election, I decided that I didn't want to sit on the sidelines for another two years waiting for another shot at Commissioner, so I volunteered to be the Democratic Committeeman for Zion Precinct 411.  I often get asked the following question:

WHAT IS A PRECINCT COMMITTEEPERSON?

Your job as a precinct committeeperson is simple: Find Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, get them registered to vote and get them to the polls. The office of the precinct committeeperson is the most important position in the entire Democratic Party.

You can also be the most effective person in your area to get out the vote for Democratic candidates. People trust a neighbor, even if they’ve never met you, to give them objective information about candidates. You can pick and chose the candidates you support...or you can support the entire Democratic slate.

Every two years, in the primary election, you may run to be the elected committeeman for your precinct. An elected precinct committeeman is a Democratic Party official at the local level. Once you are elected, you have a voice in what your county Democratic Party does. You are also on the front lines in elections, invited to special events with top candidates and absolutely essential to winning elections!  - Lake County Democratic Party www.lakedems.org

 The late author Hunter S. Thompson said, "Politics is the art of controlling your environment."  It logically follows that in order to exercise that control we have to get involved in politics. I actually get angry when I hear people refuse to get involved, or even to vote because 'all politicians are corrupt', and 'it doesn't make any difference'.  It's the laziest attitude that I can imagine, and one that too often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  You want better people in office? Get up off the couch and volunteer on a campaign.  You want policies that reflect and respect your beliefs and values? Then get involved in a political party that meshes with your ideals, and make it better by adding your voice.

I decided to add my voice, so I am on a partisan ballot for the very first time.

I'm way down at the bottom, and as you can see, I have no opponent so I win by default.  Which is common in primary elections, especially for minor positions, or even for some higher offices.  It becomes more troubling when there are candidates in the general election without an opponent, and that is something that really needs to change.

In the meantime, as I said at the start, this is the first day of early voting and there are some offices where there is a contested primary, and if there isn't a primary challenge, there is an opportunity to learn about new candidates that will be on the ballot in November.

Meet the Candidates

If you are a Lake County voter, and would like to learn more about the candidates in the Primary Election, there will be a chance to learn more from them, or their surrogates at the following event.

Meet the Candidates on Thursday, March 10 at the Zion Benton Public Library, 2400 Gabriel Ave, Zion IL.  The event starts at 6:30 p.m. in Room A. 

Candidates participating or represented:

Brad Schneider - U.S. Representative District 10 schneiderforcongress.com

Nancy Rotering - U.S. Representative District 10 nancyroteringforcongress.com

Melinda Bush - State Senate District 31 melindaforsenate.com 

Nick Ciko - State Representative District 61

Mary Ellen Vanderventer - Lake County Recorder of Deeds

Mike Perillo - Lake County States Attorney  perillo2016.com   

John Idleburg - Lake County Board District 4  elect_john_idleburg_4@yahoo.com 

Preston Carter - North Shore Water Reclamation District 1  votesmartervotecarter@gmail.com 

Tammy Duckworth - U.S. Senate tammyduckworth.com 

Andrea Zopp - U.S. Senate andreazoppforsenate.com

Of course the Presidential candidates have their websites:

Hillary Clinton  hillaryclinton.com

Bernie Sanders berniesanders.com  

An informed voter is the foundation of our democracy. I encourage everyone to get informed, and vote for the candidates of your choice on March 15th.