Recently in Elections Category

Elections don't get anymore local than today. With 11 candidates for Naperville School District 203, 12 in Indian Prairie School District 204, 13 for City Council, 13 for College of DuPage board, seven for Naperville Park District board and 75 for local townships, it's likely you might even know one of the candidates. This election affects you even more than the last one. These candidates are your neighbors, friends and maybe even family - all vying to make the decisions that will affect your life not only as an American but as a Naperville resident.

What was your voting experience like today? Tell us if you had any problems or if you had a particularly pleasant experience. We're watching all day long to make sure elections are fair and to give you updates on who's ahead of whom. We're counting on you to keep us informed.

In today's Sun we report on those annoying campaign signs left standing in yards and along roadways since the election, nine days ago. Campaign signs should be removed within a week of the election, according to Naperville code.

We hear from code enforcement team supervisor Ann Michalsen, who says her crews expect to pull hundreds of signs this week in response to residents' complaints.

Candidates should know better. The good ones will typically go around after election day and pull all their signs, or they'll designate volunteers to do it for them. Candidates were sent letters, notifying them of the code. What's more, residents who still have campaign signs in their yards are subject to fines.

Some problem areas for signs have been along Route 59 at Aurora Avenue, and along Mill Street between Diehl Road and Bauer Road,.

What's your experience with campaign signs? Do you have any in your yard? Did you take them down before they became illegal? What did you did with the signs?

What about around town? Have you noticed signs along roadways during your travels? Have you contacted the city? What response did you get? Where do you still see campaign signs, anywhere in Naperville?

Now that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has won a historic presidential election, what's next? Who will Gov. Rod Blagojevich appoint to replace Obama in the Senate--himself? Or maybe his most threatening opponent for governor--Attorney General Lisa Madigan? Or maybe U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., or Bill Daley, or someone else.

Use this thread to comment on Tuesday's election results, both national and local. What do you make of Darlene Senger's apparent narrow victory over Dianne McGuire? Did you expect Judy Biggert to win a sixth term in Congress?

And how about this--three Democrats were elected to the DuPage County Board! They include a 22-year-old who will represent Naperville.

Historic, indeed.

Use this thread to relate your experience on election day. When and where did you vote, were there lines, did you have to wait, did you vote early? Any problems with electioneering, or people accosting you with candidate materials outside a polling place? Any campaign signs placed too close to a polling place?

What about election night--how do you plan to spend it? Will you be watching TV? If so, what's your network of choice? Will you be checking for local results or other results online? What local races are you most interested in?

Finally, you may use this thread after results are in to comment on your reactions to elections--from the presidential race to any local elections.

Dianne McGuire is on the attack, again. The Democrat in the 96th District state representative race has a fresh set of campaign ads that accuse Republican Darlene Senger of "phoning it in" because Darlene participated in a handful of Naperville City Council meetings over the years via telephone, a practice common among virtually all local government bodies when members are out of town on business.

What's really off-base about these ads is that Senger has one of the best attendance records of any City Council member.

A story in Tuesday's Sun also explores McGuire's involvement in the 2007 school board elections in Naperville School District 203, when union teachers pushing a slate of candidates backed a McGuire group that presented itself as a citizen's organization, when really it was 100 percent backed by the union.

What do you make of all this? What does McGuire's involvement in the school elections say about her character, and is it fair to bring that into question during this campaign? What do you think of McGuire's campaign ads, which she says are put out by the state Democratic party? Is this the type of campaigning you expected to see in Naperville?

It's easy, in a county where 100 percent of the elected officials are Republican, to believe there must be some sort of bias and favoritism exhibited by the ruling party officials.

That's what local Democrats claimed this week, when they said, among other things, that the DuPage Election Commission has Republican cronies on the payroll and favored Republicans in recent ballot disputes.

The commission answered the charges, saying the ballot disputes were resolved fairly and that it also has a Democratic crony on the payroll. You can read more in Friday's Sun.

What's your impression of the election process in DuPage? Do you think it's on the up-and-up? Do you trust that elections are being conducted in a legal and fair manner? Or do you believe that illegal and unethical practices are being allowed to happen?

There was an old saying about Chicago elections that went, "Vote early and often." Well, now in Naperville, at least the first part is true. You can vote early.

Early voting for the Nov. 4 general election began Monday for DuPage County residents and Tuesday for Will County residents. Early voting for both DuPage and Will county residents ends Oct. 30.

Early voting for DuPage County residents will take place in Naperville at the Municipal Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Oct. 25. A full list of early voting locations throughout the county is available at www.dupageelections.com.

Will County residents who reside in Naperville can visit the Will County clerk's office to take part in early voting or visit the city clerk's office at the Municipal Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Oct. 25. Absentee voting will also be held from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 1.

Are you going to vote early? Have you considered it? What do you think of the option? Is it more convenient for you than waiting for election day? Or are you going to stick with tradition and cast your ballot on Nov. 4?

With less than three weeks to go until the nation selects a new president, one issue has become foremost on the minds of Americans: the economic crisis.

The Dow is coming off its worst week in history. Trillions of dollars in value have been lost. The world seems to teeter on the brink of something big.

Can one man -- the president -- make a difference? Who do you think is better able to lead the country out of this economic turmoil, John McCain or Barack Obama? How will the economic crisis affect your vote in the upcoming presidential election?

We learned late Tuesday that longtime Naperville City Council member John Rosanova has decided he will not seek another term.

In the spring, the four-year seats of incumbents Rosanova, Doug Krause, Kenn Miller and James Boyajian are up for election. Krause and Miller are running again, while Boyajian and now Rosanova have said they will not seek re-election.

So far, challengers for what will be at least two open seats on the council include plan commission member and Naperville entrepreneur Joe McElroy.

Well, this seems like a golden opportunity for anyone with a sincere interest in shaping Naperville's future to step up to the plate and seek public office, to have a seat at the table while decisions are made about the town's spending, its policies and priorities.

Any takers out there?

A question on ballots Nov. 4 will ask whether Illinois should convene a constitutional convention. By law, the question must be asked of voters every 20 years, a story in Monday's Sun explains.

Supporters, like Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, say the convention is needed to address such issues as recall of elected officials and same-sex marriage. Opponents, like law professor Ann Lousin, say the state's constitution is fine, that its problems have to do with lawmakers not getting along.

A convention could cost $78 million, Lousin says, while Quinn says it could be done for $23 million.

Who do you believe? How are you going to vote on Nov. 4 (or earlier, if you vote early)? Does Illinois need a constitutional convention?