A double witching hour took place this week. We moved into the fall equinox on Tuesday, while early in-person balloting begins Thursday for the midterm election.
Decide which is more important: Indulging in pumpkin spice food and drink, or voting for candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot. Tough decision.
Especially considering that for many voters in Lake County, there are few choices to make when they trudge to the polls in two months or take part in early voting. Sixteen local candidates, all of them incumbent Democrats, are unopposed and will waltz into office without being challenged.
Early voting will be held in the lobby of the Lake County Building in downtown Waukegan from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 16. Countywide in-person early voting opens Oct. 19 at selected locations, while voter registration takes place up to Nov. 2 at various sites.
Those electing for early voting will find a sparse lineup of candidates. Land of Lincoln Republicans finally cobbled a slate of no-name candidates — except for gubernatorial longshot Darren Bailey making his second try to unseat Gov. JB Pritzker — to oppose entrenched statewide Democrats.
The same is true in Lake County as Dems on the County Board hold a supermajority, like their legislative counterparts in Springfield. County GOPsters rustled up a few candidates, but more Republican blank spaces are listed on the local fall ballot than challengers.
Five Democratic legislative candidates are unopposed. The last two Republican state lawmakers in Lake County face Democrat challengers.
Other unopposed races include two for trustee on the North Shore Water Reclamation District board; two countywide posts, Clerk Anthony Vega and Regional Schools Superintendent Michael Karner; and seven County Board Dems. There are Republican challengers in six County Board contests.
It’s a sorry state of affairs for a political party which once controlled Lake County and a few years ago at least made an attempt to be the loyal opposition. Statewide and locally, Republicans have lost their message to persuade voters to choose them.
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They may find themselves further in the hole after Nov. 3, although it can’t get much worse for the GOP. Illinoisans, like their fellow Americans, are suffering from record-high fuel prices, rising prices at the grocery store, and soaring costs from energy to clothing.
Remember the Clinton-era mantra? It’s the economy, stupid.
Those economic pains could also affect the five tax and bond issue referendums on the fall ballot. More than candidates, those taxing issues may draw voters to the polls.
Chief among them is the hefty countywide proposal to adopt an additional 1% retail sales tax which, if adopted, would be used on school facilities, resource officers and mental health professionals. This would be in addition to school levies already on tax bills.
Voters in Lake Zurich are being asked to issue $20.3 million in general obligation bonds to build and equip a new fire station. In Antioch Township, a tax hike of $40.53 on property per $100,000 market value is being floated.
The Vernon Area Public Library District is seeking to issue $39.5 million in bonds to repair, remodel, and add various areas in the library in Lincolnshire. The Fox Lake Fire Protection District has a proposal on the ballot to increase the tax rate for firefighters’ pensions, which would amount to $20 a year for a single-family home having a fair market value of $100,000.
One reason to vote early is the fear of federal action allegedly seeking voter fraud at polling places. If so, that could stifle the vote.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to Illinois and 29 other states earlier this month ordering them to preserve data related to the 2024 election and requesting voter rolls. President Donald Trump has questioned the integrity of U.S. elections and claimed — unproven in every election location — widespread voter fraud since his defeat in 2020 by Democrat Joe Biden.
Yet, it’s not federal interference that Lake County voters need to fret about. It’s the lack of candidate choices on the November ballot.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor, and editor. [email protected]. X @sellenews