As I write this, the Election Day voter registration option for Illinois voters has been blocked by a federal judge and the Illinois Attorney General has vowed to appeal the decision. The best response to this situation is to be sure your registration is up to date and to remind all new voters and those who have moved recently to register as well.
The village of Oak Park has also just learned that the second week of early voting will have extended hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 31 through Nov. 4. Nov. 5 (Saturday) and Nov. 7 (Monday) will be 9-5, Sunday 9-3. Although the press has announced that early voting at the Cook County Clerk’s Office has begun, ballots were not yet available as of last weekend. More information is available at http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/elections/earlyvoting/Pages/default.aspx.
But the Nov. 8 presidential election is not the only election on the horizon in Oak Park. On April 4, 2017, villagers will be electing members of local governments here in the village.
Over the coming weeks you may be asked to sign a petition for a candidate running for local office in Oak Park. Petition circulation began on Sept. 20 for the April 2017 municipal elections, which will be held across the state of Illinois to elect members of local governmental boards. All local governments in Oak Park and River Forest will elect members to serve four-year terms.
In Oak Park, all boards except the township are elected on a “staggered” basis, with some members elected next year, and others elected two years later. The village of Oak Park will elect a village president, village clerk, and three of the six trustees. Oak Park Township will elect a township clerk, township supervisor, township assessor, and four township trustees. The library, park district, District 97 (elementary schools), and District 200 (OPRF High School) will elect members, along with the Triton College Board.
An adult citizen who is a resident of Oak Park can run for any of these positions. Information for candidates is now available at the Illinois State Board of Elections, along with a schedule, including the calendar and deadlines for candidates to file petitions.
More information about this process is at https://www.elections.il.gov/Publications.aspx. Select Election Guides in the column on the right and choose “2017 Candidates Guide” and “2017 Calendar at a Glance” for details about preparing and filing petitions and deadlines. These documents can be downloaded to your computer for reference.
Petitions may be submitted Dec. 12-19. The Village Clerk’s Office will accept petitions for village offices and for library and park district positions, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. during that period. Check with other local governments for information about their filing details.
It’s helpful to consult with an attorney who is familiar with election law to be sure that petitions are prepared and filing according to state requirements. As village clerks, we cannot provide legal advice to candidates or notarize election documents, but we can direct candidates to candidate information. Elections at all levels are managed by the State Board of Elections and the Cook County Clerk’s Office.
For additional details about past elections and for election night results on Nov. 8, 2016, and April 4, 2017, check www.cookcountyclerk.com/elections.
So … if you are thinking of “throwing your hat in the ring” or if you know someone who would be terrific as a public official, now is the time to kick off the campaign!
Teresa Powell is the village clerk of Oak Park. She is not running for re-election.