Be A Voter

A Nonpartisan Resource for the Tuesday, March 17, 2020 General Primary Election

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

Primary Election: the process by which voters can indicate their preference for a candidate in an upcoming general election and narrows the field of candidates for various elected offices at the Federal, State, and Local levels of government. In Illinois voters must declare their party affiliation at the time of voting and will receive one political party’s ballot.

REGISTER TO VOTE 

• Lake County Voter Registration Information
• In person including at Cook Park Library or Aspen Drive Library
• 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

February 6	First day of early voting at Lake County Clerk's Office and designated temporary locations.
February 18	Close of Voter Registration
February 19	Grace period registration and grace period voting begins.
March 1	Last day to register to vote online.
March 16	Last day for early voting at Lake County Clerk's Office and designated temporary locations.
March 17	General Primary Election

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CANDIDATES

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 a copy of your voter registration card 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)

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.

New York Times 20 (More) Questions – New York Times asked 6 Democratic Presidential Candidates the same twenty questions. A quick way to get to know some of the candidates.

New York Times: Who’s Running for President 2020? – An up to the date accounting of who’s in and who’s out of the 2020 Presidential race including brief biographies of each candidate. An excellent source to quickly get up to speed on every presidential candidate.

Hitting the paywall? Use your library card for free unlimited access to NYTimes.com! Get started

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PRIMARY DEBATE SCHEDULE

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Tuesday, February 25

Sponsors: CBS News, The Black Democratic Caucus Institute, and Twitter – Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina

Watch: 7 p.m. CBS, BET, or stream on CBSN

Sunday, March 15

Sponsors: CNN, Univision, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD

Watch: 7 p.m. CNN, Univision

REPUBLICAN PARTY

TBA

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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 let’s 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 February 21, 2020