The Primary Election was moved to June 28 this year, and early voting begins on Monday, June 13 at the HP Public Library. This is a new early voting location, and some election day polling places have also moved. There are candidates on the ballot for federal, state and local offices. The Primary Election provides an opportunity for you to help determine who will appear on the General Election ballot in November. More information on hours and polling locations is here, along with a link to the Lake County website where you can request a mail ballot or check your registration.

I strongly support Lauren Beth Gash for reelection as State Central Committeewoman, Nancy Rotering for Illinois Supreme Court, and John Idleburg for reelection as Sheriff of Lake County.

Lauren Beth Gash has worked tirelessly for decades to help elect Democrats in Lake County and has advised and supported candidates for office at all levels of government. Lauren also helped bring in new party leadership to modernize the Democratic Party of Illinois, and built a strong infrastructure for Democrats in Lake County and beyond. Prior to her service organizing and electing Democrats in our area, Lauren served four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives. She has my strongest endorsement for her reelection.

Nancy Rotering led the effort for Highland Park to ban military-style assault weapons; founded the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic to provide free legal services to people facing immigration, domestic violence and housing matters; and is the only candidate to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood and Personal PAC based on her strong record of support for reproductive rights. She has been endorsed by a long list of top attorneys, and has my strong support in this race.

Sheriff John Idleburg served in the US Marines, was a Sheriff’s Deputy in Lake County, and worked for the US Departments of Defense and Treasury prior to running for Sheriff. In his role as Sheriff, he has worked to improve relations with the community, piloted a multi-agency initiative to better respond to mental health calls for service, and created a program to help inmates returning to society, among other things. Sheriff Idleburg has my strong support for reelection.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on this campaign. We have an incredible team of volunteers who did everything from gathering petition signatures to distributing door hangers, calling voters to emailing friends and family, writing letters to the editor, and helping with yard signs. I appreciate the endorsements of so many Highland Park residents, current and former colleagues and elected officials. I am honored that so many people offered to help with the campaign, and greatly appreciate all that you have done. Thank you!

After years of involvement in our community, I first ran for Council to accelerate the pace of change on environmental issues, make our streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians, and use my experience in nonprofit management to help our community. I am proud of the progress that we have made on these issues, but there is more to be done which is why I am glad to be able to serve another term on City Council.

In the near term, the City faces two significant issues – recovering from the economic impacts of the pandemic and addressing the effects of climate change. The City must continue to make tough financial decisions so that we can provide the high level of services our residents expect within tight budgetary constraints as we recover from the pandemic. We also need to bring innovative ideas to help our business community regain its vibrancy. 

Climate change has financial implications for the City as extreme weather causes damage to infrastructure. I will continue my leadership to make environmentally responsible choices that save the City money, and to ensure that the City’s infrastructure is built to withstand the stronger storms and bigger temperature fluctuations brought on by climate change. I will continue raising the bar to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and model sustainable practices for our residents and other municipalities. 

I am proud of the work that I have done so far, and honored to have the confidence of voters as we move forward to address these issues. I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Rotering, my Council colleagues, and our two new members, Annette Lidawer and Andres Tapia. 

Thank you so much for your support, and for putting your trust in me!
Kim

Lake County announced this afternoon that there will be drop boxes inside early voting sites beginning on Monday, March 22 for this election. This is new information since I sent my email earlier today.

According to Lake County’s press release, “Voters may simply walk in with their masks and place their Vote by Mail ballot in any of these Drop Boxes located at each Early Voting site.” There are currently not any external drop boxes planned for this election.

If you have requested a mail-in ballot and have not yet returned it, you should deposit it in a secure ballot drop box (find locations and hours here). If you’d prefer to vote in person, you may surrender the mail-in ballot and certification envelope to the check-in judge on Election Day and get a new ballot to vote right then and there. While you may still mail in the ballot, it may not be received in time at this point to be counted.

It’s time to make your plan to vote in the fall election. More details on the options are here. Please note that our nearest Early Voting site has moved from the Police Station and is now located at the Highland Park Country Club. On Election Day, you must vote at your assigned polling place.

As I said in my email, if you choose to use an official drop box to return your mail ballot, it must be in the box by the time polls close on November 3. However, drop boxes will not be available on Election Day at all locations – check here for a list of locations and hours.  Mail-in ballots dropped by November 2 in Lake County will be counted on election night along with early votes. Those dropped on the 3rd will be counted with those mailed and postmarked by Election Day, but arriving later. More information on voting options, polling locations and hours is here. Most importantly, please vote early if you can, whether in person or by mail.

If you plan to vote by mail in the November election, you can now request a ballot online here. On August 1, the County Clerk will begin mailing vote by mail applications to registered voters who voted in elections or primaries in 2018, 2019 or 2020. You may fill in that application and return it to the Clerk if you prefer. More information about voting options is here.

Your vote is important! The primary election in Illinois is March 17, 2020. Early voting will begin Monday, March 2, 2020 at the Highland Park Police Station and other locations in Lake County. (Early voting has already begun at the Lake County Clerk’s office only.) Lake County voters may vote early at any early voting site in the county. On Election Day, you must vote at your assigned polling place. More information on times and locations for voting is here.