With Iraq and the scandal-plagued White House grabbing most of the political attention, it is understandable that people might forget that important politics are happening at the grass-roots level, with the primary election coming March 17. So a chat with Lake County Clerk Willard R. Helander (below) is in order.
Q. Do you think people are aware there is a primary election?
A. It’s strange. There seems to be no sentiment out there that an election is coming. It’s very quiet. But there are a lot of issues. And there are many people running for governor (two on the Republican ticket, six on the Democratic ballot).
Q. Do people seem to know when it is?
A. People I consider informed, people who are even working for a candidate, are not sure when the primary is. They’re saying, “The election is not until April, right?” But the primary is coming up very soon. It is March 17.
Q. Aside from the local issues and a good-sized governor’s race, what other motivation might there be to vote in a primary rather than just wait until the general election on Nov. 3?
A. In Lake County, who you vote for in the primaries often determines who holds the office. There might not be a candidate filed for the other party in November in areas dominated by one party. The County Board races will be determined in the primary. Those people who are aware of the county government want to have a voice in it. But, of course, some people focus more on Springfield and Washington.
Q. Are there any election changes?
A. People will not have the ability to punch one number to take care of all races. There is no straight-party voting in the general election. That was changed by the legislature in 1996 and became effective Jan. 17, 1997.
Q. Are there other changes to check?
A. Voters get new ID cards if there is a change in their polling place. The cards usually go out two weeks before an election. Sometimes people don’t open the envelope and look at them because they think they already got one. But if they have recently received a card, they must look at it. It’s also a good idea if people look in the Voters Guide that is in some newspapers because the polling places, which are listed by township order and precinct order, are in bold-face type where there is a change in location.
Q. What kind of turnout do you expect?
More Top Picks Best Gps Running Watches For Beginners
A. I think it will be a brisk turnout. But the percentage will look like it’s down because the “motor-voter” registration law (for registering people to vote when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license) has changed accessibility, so there are more people who are registered to vote.