The Chicago Bean
With 2.7 million people and 53 seats up for election in a week, Chicago gets its own elections guide.
Chicago elections are never dull, and this cycle we have an alderman accused of committing exhortion, controversy about the TIF funds, and a national discussion around crime. There’s also everyday issues such as property and commuter taxes, the legalization of marijuana, gambling, and public school closings.
If you’re in Chicago, I hope you’ll find this guide helpful, and if you’re not in Chicago, consider sharing it on social media to get the word out about the election.
Key Info
Election Day: Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Can you register to vote on Election Day? Yes
Find your polling place: Start HERE
Polling hours: 6am – 7pm
Mayor
Curren mayor Rahm Emanuel is not running for re-election, and there are 14 candidates on the ballot. Ballotpedia has a full page dedicated to the candidates, their backgrounds and endorsements, polling, etc. A runoff election will be held on April 2 if no candidate receives a majority of votes.
WEBZ Chicago has a terrific guide of the mayoral candidates and their answers to a series of pressing questions for the city.
City Clerk & City Treasurer
For a full list of candidates who made the ballot and the endorsements they’ve received, look at Ballotpedia’s guide HERE.
City Council
All 50 seats are up for re-election for the City Council. (City Council members are also known as aldermen or alderwomen.) Ballotpedia lists all of the candidates who made the ballot, they include a map of all the wards, plus other info. If you’re not sure which ward you’re in, type your address in HERE to get that info.
For a general elections guide, check out Chi.Vote. You can explore all the races there, and have all your questions answered such as if you’ll need ID, how to vote early or by mail, what number to call if you have problems voting, etc.
With just a week left until Election Day, campaigns are at their peak right now. If you are interested in helping any of these candidates get over the finish line, consider reading:
How To Get Out The Vote
Before I finish, I want to give a tip of the hat to my friend Kelly who co-hosts the TwoBroadsTalk podcast (and who I interviewed last year.) She pointed me to several of the resources featured throughout this guide. Also, she had the opportunity to interview a few of the mayoral candidates, and you can find that episode HERE.
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