Voting time! My endorsements:
Dear neighbors,
It's that time again! Early voting for the March primary election begins today (Wednesday)! But it's a little tricky this year:
2/21 - 3/4: Early voting is open at the downtown location only. (It's at 16 W Adams, a new location.)
3/5 - 3/19: Early voting is open at 51 locations around the city. You can vote at any of them! These include the usual sites: Humboldt Park Library, Portage Cragin Library, Kilbourn Park, the 16th District Police Station, and many others. (See the full list here.)
3/20: Election Day! Vote at your usual polling location. (Find your polling place here.)
On all of the early voting days, polling places are open 9am -5pm Monday through Saturday, and 10am - 4pm on Sunday. On Election Day, polling places are open 6am - 7pm.
I'm really excited about this election — we've got the opportunity to elect an incredible, transformative slate of candidates and rewrite the narrative about what's possible in Illinois politics. Here are some of the folks I'm supporting this cycle, as they'll appear on your ballot:
Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Daniel Biss and Litesa Wallace
I've served with both Sen. Biss and Rep. Wallace in Springfield. I know their records, and more importantly, I know their values. These are two remarkable progressive leaders who are challenging the Democratic Party establishment. They're the best-equipped to motivate our base, to beat Bruce Rauner, and to advance the kind of agenda we need in Illinois: a fair tax policy, free higher education, single-payer health care, criminal justice reform, and so much more. It would be a total game-changer to have them in the Governor's mansion, and I'm so proud to support this ticket.
State Senator, 20th District: Iris Martinez
Senator Martinez has represented our community diligently in her 15 years in Springfield. She's been a leader on issues facing Latino and immigrant communities, and I'm excited to work with her this year on a bill ensuring that undocumented people have access to professional licenses in Illinois. Her veteran leadership will be much needed in the coming years.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner: Debra Shore
This is a no-brainer for me. Deb has been at the MWRD for many years now, and she's been a true fighter for environmental justice in a job that has too often been a political patronage post. She's moving the MWRD into the 21st century, slowly but surely, and she deserves another term.
County Assessor: Fritz Kaegi
This is one of the most important races this cycle. There's been a steady drumbeat of stories in the past several months about how badly broken our property tax assessment is in Cook County. The truth of it is simple: people who own skyscrapers hire connected lawyers and get insane breaks on their taxes. Because of the way the levy works, when they pay less, all the rest of us pay more — especially lower-income families and communities of color. Fritz is committed to running an ethical and transparent office, which will make all of our taxes more fair.
Judge, 6th Subcircuit (Vacancy of Cooke): Charlie Beach
Judge, 6th Subcircuit (Vacancy of Lopez Cepero): Stephanie Miller
Judges play a huge role in implementing a fair criminal justice system: they set bond (or don't), determine sentences, and do much more. We've got a chance with Charlie and Stephanie to elect two brilliant and thoughtful jurists to the bench. In my conversations with them, they've both shown a thoughtful understanding of the injustices in our justice system, and they've committed to taking a holistic, restorative focus when elected. We can pass all the laws we want in Springfield, but we'll need good judges like Charlie and Stephanie to implement them and change our system.
[Note: if you live north of Diversey and west of Kostner, you're probably not in the 6th Subcircuit, so you won't see them on your ballot.]
There are plenty more races on the ballot as well. You can find a full sample ballot at the Chicago Board of Elections website: https://chicagoelections.com/en/your-voter-information.html. Do your research ahead of time, and remember that you can bring notes, printed information, or your smartphone with you into the polling place.
If you have questions about any candidates or elections, don't hesitate to respond to this email and ask!
All my best,
-Will