From the Editor: Preparations already under way for spring local elections

Somehow, election years manage to be both a sprint and a marathon for newsrooms.

This year, we got a longer respite due to the unusual, redistricting-related delay of the Illinois primary, which typically is held in March but it was June 28 this year because of COVID-19.

From that point to Nov. 8, we operated at full throttle.

Every county board seat, every seat in the General Assembly, every statewide office and every U.S. House seat was up for reelection, as were a U.S. Senate seat and scores of judgeships.

Across our coverage area, there were more than 150 contested races, with close to 400 candidates.

Those numbers will pale in comparison to what we'll see in the April 4 consolidated local election, which will determine who will serve on municipal councils, fire protection district boards, library boards, park boards and school boards. (I joke that every office down to dogcatcher will be on the ballot.)

A portion of those races will end up being uncontested, which will lighten our workload but will be to the detriment of civic engagement.

Still, the local ballot will be hefty. So the work starts now.

In the few municipalities that can have a February primary to winnow the field - Aurora, Downers Grove, Elgin, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, North Aurora, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheaton, we're looking at you - the candidate filing period was Nov. 21-28. A primary is triggered when the number of candidates is more than four times the number of available seats. So far, barring any successful petition challenges, the only race that will have a primary is Aurora's Ward 6 seat, for which five candidates filed.

For all other local governing bodies, the filing period will run Dec. 12-19.

Local taxing bodies have until Jan. 17 to place binding referendum questions on the spring ballot. So far, Kaneland Unit District 302 board has decided to ask voters for $57 million for building improvements.

The clock already has started for us to collect email addresses for our election questionnaires, obtain photos of all the candidates, conduct endorsement interviews and plan pre-election coverage. Early voting will begin Feb. 23, so we're accelerating our timeline accordingly.

Full throttle, indeed.

• News Editor Michelle Holdway works on the night copy desk. She has coordinated the Daily Herald's Election Night coverage for the past 20 years.