Daily Herald opinion: Ready to vote again? Campaigns set to begin for local elections
With the dust still settling from the general election, officials across the suburbs are gearing up for local elections in the spring.
The filing period for candidates seeking municipal, school, library, park district, township and fire protection district posts begins Tuesday and continues through the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 18.
The consolidated election is on April 1.
We understand how exhausting it is to think about another election. After all, we just endured a presidential campaign that lasted well over a year.
Still, suburban residents should not ignore local elections.
This spring, voters will elect the officials who will help decide nearly every aspect of local government operations. Municipal, school and park boards determine everything from property tax bills to elementary school class sizes, from flood-control policies to park district programs.
If all politics truly are local, it doesn’t get much more local than this.
“That is one of the messages we always try to get across with these elections,” DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said. “They impact the property taxes and other decisions that directly impact our daily lives.”
Nevertheless, voter turnout in local elections is historically much lower than in county, state and national contests.
Voter turnout for this month’s general election was nearly 74% in DuPage County. However, only 16.57% of the eligible voters in DuPage cast ballots during the non-partisan consolidated election in 2021. Voter turnout in the county was only slightly better — 20.33% — during the 2023 consolidated election.
That is unfortunate because every election requires the same amount of planning and preparation.
“Just as much work goes into a so-called smaller election as a big election,” Kaczmarek said. “We have to have all the polling places set up, all the election judges working, and all the equipment running.”
It is too soon to tell how many contested races there will be. But some already have taken shape in a handful of cities and villages that held primary filing periods late last month. In Aurora, incumbent Mayor Richard Irvin could face five challengers in a February primary to narrow the field of candidates ahead of the April election. In the meantime, three of the mayoral candidates are fighting to stay on the ballot in Aurora after having their petitions challenged.
We will work to inform you about the choices you will face in the spring. All we ask in return is that you not sit this election out. Please vote when the time comes, because local races matter.