Be A Voter

A Nonpartisan Resource for the Tuesday, November 3, 2020 General Election

Important Dates | Candidates/Ballot Measures | Government Sites | Campaign Finance | News Election Coverage | Debates | Fact Checking | General Resources | Political Parties

General Election: A final election for a political office with a limited list of candidates. The candidates in the general election are the people who won their party’s primary election. General elections happen at a local, state, and national level.

MAIL-IN AND EARLY VOTING

Due to COVID-19, the Lake County Clerk is encouraging all voters to vote by mail and avoid lines during early voting or on Election Day. Find out more and request your ballot.

Drop Box Locations for Vote By Mail Ballots

All About Vote By Mail w/ Lake County Clerk Robin O’Connor – archived video of Sept. 3 library program.

Early Voting Sites (includes open dates and times)

REGISTER TO VOTE 

• Lake County Voter Registration Information
• In person including at Cook Park Library or Aspen Drive Library (available when the library re-opens)
• Online
• By Mail – Mail-In Voter Registration Form – download PDF or form to complete online and print ).
• Automatic Voter Registration – Automatic Voter Registration, commonly known as “AVR,” is a bipartisan initiative and establishes electronic voter registration at multiple Illinois state agencies, including at Secretary of State Driver’s Services facilities.
• Restoration of Voting Rights after a felony conviction.
• Same Day Voter Registration at Early Voting Sites

 IMPORTANT DATES

September 24	Lake County Clerk begins sending Mail-In Ballots. First day of early voting at Lake County Clerk's Office and designated temporary locations.
October 6	Close of in person Voter Registration
October 7	Grace period registration and grace period voting begins.
October 18	Last day to register to vote online.
October 29	Last day for mail-in voting applications.
November 2	Last day for early voting at Lake County Clerk's Office and designated temporary locations.
November 3	General Election. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by this date.

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CANDIDATES / BALLOT MEASURES

Registered voters can use Voter Power to see their sample ballot. 

List of candidates has been compiled to the best of our ability. If a candidate‘s name or official site is not listed, please contact our webmaster to request a candidate be added upon review. 

*   Indicates incumbent candidate

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GOVERNMENT SITES

Office of Lake County Clerk – The official website of the Lake County Clerk; with answers to questions like “Who can register to vote?” and “Where do I vote?”. (En Español)

Lake County Election Calendar – List of important election dates. (En Español)

Lake County Voter Power – View a copy of your ballot, list of districts, polling place, and request a mail-in ballot by providing some basic information (i.e. name, date of birth, etc.). (En Español)

Lake County Voter Information – A helpful FAQ for Lake County voters. (En Español)

Voter’s Bill of Rights – Know your rights as a voter. 

Special Voter Circumstances – Useful information for Lake County voters on how to vote in a variety of circumstances including from a hospital and nursing home.

Illinois State Board of Elections – A quick and easy way to find candidate filings, general election information, and to verify if you are registered to vote in Illinois.

Federal Voting Assistance Program – Federal voting assistance for service members, their families, and overseas citizens. Provides access to election officials and voting assistance officers to help navigate the absentee voting process.

Presidential Election Process – Learn about the Presidential election process, including the Electoral College, caucuses and primaries, and the national conventions. The Federal Government has developed a glossary of common terms used during election seasons.  Perfect for new voters.

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CAMPAIGN FINANCE DISCLOSURES

Federal Election Commission – Official United States Government website that tracks campaign finance and donations.

Illinois Sunshine – a tool for browsing political contributions in the state of Illinois

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NEWS COVERAGE OF ELECTION 

Chicago Sun-Times – Political coverage of Chicago and Illinois elections including the 2020 presidential election.

Chicago Tribune – Includes a 2020 election voter guide, news, opinion, fact checking, and details on how to vote in Illinois.

Daily Herald – Includes 2020 election coverage including endorsements for local and state wide races.

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DEBATES

U.S. President

September 29, 2020 at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH)

October 22, 2020 at Belmont University (Nashville, Tennessee)

U.S. Vice President

October 7, 2020 at The University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah)

U.S. Congress

Mark Curran and Dick Durbin (Daily Herald video)

Brad Schneider and Valerie Ramirez Mukherjee (Daily Herald video)

Willie Wilson and Danny Malouf (Daily Herald Video)

Illinois State Legislature

Mary Edly-Allen, Chris Bos, Marci Suelzer, Martin McLaughlin, and Maggie Trevor (Daily Herald video)

Lake County Offices

Circuit Court Clerk candidates Erin Cartwright Weinstein and Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez (Daily Herald video)

Coroner candidates Howard Cooper and Jennifer Banek (Daily Herald video)

Recorder of Deeds candidates Mary Ellen Vanderventer and Emilia Czyszczon (Daily Herald video)

State’s Attorney candidates Michael Nerheim and Eric Rinehart (Daily Herald video)

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FACT CHECKING

Annenberg Political Fact Check – Designed to help voters by “monitoring the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.” Updated even when it is not election season. Includes information on special interest groups behind television ads.

Center for Public Integrity – A well documented investigative journalism organization and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 & 2017.

Newsguard -Browser extension that provides an easy way to evaluate websites. “Green-Red ratings compiled by a team of trained journalists signal if a website is trying to get it right, has a hidden agenda, or knowingly publishes falsehoods or propaganda.”

Politifact – A fact-checking website founded by editors of Time Magazine and in conjunction with Congressional Quarterly.

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GENERAL RESOURCES

BallotReady – A nonpartisan site that allows you to build your ballot by diving into every candidate and referendum on your ballot including candidate’s backgrounds, stances on issues, and experience.  BallotReady lets you “explore your ballot, make informed choices, and vote!”.  

BestColleges.com Student Voting Guide – A nonpartisan guide designed for college students. Includes a bipartisan key issues guide and voter registration information for each state.

ProCon.org – Pros and Cons of Current Issues – Feeling overwhelmed by all the issues being debated during the 2020 Presidential Election? Start here! ProCon.org is a nonprofit nonpartisan public charity that use professional researchers and rigorous editorial standards. 

Project Vote Smart – A nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office.

TurboVote – A tool that makes voting easy by sending text or email messages verifying voter registration status, reminders about important election deadlines, and polling place location. Developed by the nonpartisan group Democracy Works.

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POLITICAL PARTIES

DEMOCRATIC PARTY – National | Illinois | Lake County

GREEN PARTY – National | Illinois | Lake County

LIBERTARIAN PARTY – National | Illinois | Lake County

REPUBLICAN PARTY – National | Illinois | Lake County

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This page is compiled and maintained by librarians at the Cook Memorial Public Library District. Links to political parties and/or campaign websites are for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute an endorsement.

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Last updated October 13, 2020