Have you been approached by candidates to sign their petitions for the March 19, 2024 Primary? The main purpose of a primary is for voters to choose who will be the nominee of a political party on the November 2024 ballot. Voters must

therefore choose one political party ballot (and can have only one

political party ballot) in order to vote for candidates seeking their party’s

nomination. Here is some important voter information:

1.Be sure to vote in the March 19, 2024 Primary so you can help choose who will be on your ballot for the November election.

2.Candidates (other than for President and Delegates) for the March

Primary began circulating nominating petitions for registered voters to sign starting on September 5, 2023. (Candidates for President and for Delegates to the national party convention may begin circulating petitions on October 7, 2023.)

3.Registered voters may only sign petitions for one political party but may sign petitions for multiple candidates for the same office.

Among the offices for which there can be candidates to be nominated by a

political party in the March 2024 Primary in Chicago and Suburban Cook County are:

• Federal: U.S. President and all U.S. House of Representatives.
• State: Illinois State Senators in some districts, and all Illinois State

Representatives.

• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago: 3 to be

nominated for Commissioners for 6-year terms and 1 to be nominated for the remaining 2 years of an unexpired Commissioner term.

• Cook County: Board of Review Commissioner for the 3rd District;

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court; Cook County State’s Attorney; and one to be nominated for the remaining 2 years of Cook County Board Commissioner for the 1st District.

• Judges: State Supreme Court, Appellate Court, Circuit Court, and

Subcircuit. These will be for vacant positions; judges for retention will be on the November ballot.

In addition, the following will be elected for a political party in the Primary:

Delegates to the National Party Convention for nominating the Party’s

Presidential candidate.

The Illinois Legislature passed SB2123, and it went into effect on August 4, 2023 as Public Act 103-0467. Read what this means for voters here.

Important information to know to be a knowledgeable voter!

Have you marked your calendar for our Tuesday, September 19 Fall Kick-off event? It will start at 6:30pm in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Library, and you will:

• Learn how Ranked Choice and Final Five Voting systems put more candidates on the ballot and give voters more choice.
• Learn how more independent candidates can get on the ballot.
• Participate in a demonstration on how these innovations work and the ease with which they can be implemented.

Our speakers will be Andrew Szilva, Fair Vote Illinois, and Sylvie Doppelt, Institute for Political Innovation. Free and open to the public. Invite your friends!

As more and more local newspapers close throughout the country, the League’s Observer Corps often find themselves playing a key role in community education and engagement. The League’s Observer Corps helps ensure that citizens are aware of the decisions that impact their lives, thereby promoting government transparency and accountability. League members can contribute to the civic health of their communities by joining or starting an Observer Corps! Have you thought about becoming an Observer of a local municipal board? You can watch in person or online and report back the highlights of the meeting to your fellow Leaguers and others accessing our website. Check out our newest Oak Park-River Forest H.S. Observer Report here. Thanks to Dr. Candace Thompson for stepping up! Contact Amber Elmer if you are interested in representing our League at these meetings.

Oak Parkers are invited to safely dispose of sensitive documents and foam products having the No. 6 symbol at a free paper shredding and foam recycling event scheduled from 9:ooam to Noon, Saturday, September 23, at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. For more information on this event, go here.

We still have 40 members who haven't renewed their membership yet. Go to our website and pay online or download the mail-in form if you want to pay with a check. We need your support and involvement!

Have you been getting the LWV IL updates and newsletters? You can always subscribe to any of our sister newsletters or just click on our link that is provided at the bottom of our weekly emails. Information in these state, national, and Independent League Organizations(Lake Michigan, Upper Mississippi River Region, Cook County) are informative and could give members another opportunity to get involved in League work.

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