Kane County voters have the opportunity to hear from some of the candidates that will be on their ballots in the Nov. 3 election at two upcoming forums hosted by the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County.
The two candidate forums will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 and 23 at Batavia’s City Hall, at 100 N. Island Ave. in Batavia. The forums will also be recorded and streamed to BATV’s YouTube channel, a news release from the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County said.
“Voters in our community deserve the opportunity to learn about their candidates for public office,” Kelly Rotella, the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County’s co-president, said in the news release, “so they can be best prepared to make informed decisions at the polls.”
The forums will include candidates in contested races for the upcoming general election on Nov. 3, per the news release from the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County, which said all candidates for the offices included in the forums have been invited to participate. Both forums include candidates for several different offices and will be divided into three segments, each lasting around 30 to 40 minutes.
The first forum, which will be held Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m., has segments reserved for the candidates in contested races for Kane County Board districts 2, 11, 13 and 15; the candidates in contested races for Illinois State Senate districts 33 and 42; and candidates for the contested race for Kane County sheriff, the news release said.
The Sept. 23 forum, also at 6:30 p.m., will include segments reserved for the candidates for Kane County treasurer; the candidates for Kane County clerk; and the candidates in contested races for Illinois state representative in districts 49, 65 and 83, per the release.
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Each of the forums will include a round of opening statements, a series of questions posed to the candidates by a League of Women Voters moderator and a round of closing statements, the news release said.
Audience members can submit questions prior to and during the forum, the local League of Women Voters said. Questions submitted by the audience will be reviewed by a team of League members for clarity and appropriateness, and then forwarded to the moderator to be asked, subject to time.
The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County has an “empty chair policy,” the news release indicated, which prohibits participation by a candidate if no opponent is present. In lieu of participating in the forum itself, candidates whose opponents are absent will be allowed to make a three-minute statement.
“The League likens a candidate forum to a job interview,” Patti Lackman, the organization’s other co-president, said in the release. “League of Women Voters candidate forums provide voters the opportunity to hear directly from their candidates, so they can make informed ‘hiring’ decisions when voting.”
Early voting for the upcoming Nov. 3 election begins Sept. 24 and extends through Nov. 2, the news release from the organization said. The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County is recommending those who plan to vote by mail to have their ballot in the mail by Oct. 20. After that date, the organization is recommending ballots be deposited in one of the official drop-boxes provided by the county clerk.
Voters with questions can email [email protected] or call 630-360-2004, per the news release.