Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Open thread

Posted in:

Illinois

* What an eventful night! What’s goin’ on?

posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:06 am

Comments

Tuned in WIND for an hour to hear the reaction to Johnson’s win. Didn’thear a peep - all Trump indictment.

Both sides bet they could do better than Lightfoot by moving off-center. One won, one lost. But in the case of Vallas, they never seemed to get that Chicago has been steadily drifting left for a while now.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:11 am
Some key Democrats have egg on their faces this morning. Happy breakfast.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:15 am
I feel like in many cases last night, the people who believe in helping other people won, pushing us forward. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m hopeful.

It will be interesting to see how Johnson works with Pritzker, and what the latter has to say of the former.

Comment by Techie Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:18 am
Well, here’s hoping Johnson can lead Chicago effectively. He has one big advantage that his predecessor lacked: a lot of allies in the General Assembly. That will help him.

I wish him the best. We’re all counting on him.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:24 am
Election results in BloNo seem to indicate a repudiation of the radical right leaning county Republicans and the local right leaning radio station. The Unit 5 school district referendum passed in spite of the party’s opposition. Ditto their slate of endorsed candidates for the school board and the Normal Town Trustees. I feel like we dodged a bullet this time. Hopefully, voters have become aware of how important these local elections truly are and will continue to be involved.

Comment by Nearly Normal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:24 am
The Curse of the Empty Shirt from last week comes back to get Langfelder.

Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:25 am
In the end, was it the Daleyites and LaSalle Street types being betrayed by Vallas by embracing the worst elements of society?

I wanted to see not the percentages but the raw ballot counts of folks “over 50”… they seemingly stayed home, and that wasn’t great for Vallas either.

In the end, having a vision to a future was stronger than reaching back to a past long gone?

In the end, seeing Proft, Ives, the FOP, them all aligning with Democrats was too much for Democrats that knew better than letting the worst ilk “in their house”?

In the end, Durbin keeps losing. Maybe Durbin can learn this time that his visions are the past, and others are going to pass him by?

And in the end… the Daley Days are now over.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:26 am
The Sophia King endorsement was not, in fact, enormous.

Comment by Quibbler Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:27 am
Johnson winning is good. Vallas ran on fear mongering about crime, which is a republican talking point. It didn’t work in the mid terms and it didn’t work here.

Comment by Left of what Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:39 am
Today is one of those days where you have to look up the spelling of schadenfreude.

Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:41 am
It should be noted that Johnson…

Got 26% of the vote in 19
Got 12% of the vote in 41

Both were “suppose” to bring single digit percentages for Johnson?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:43 am
In McLean County, that “hotbed of radicalization”, the MAGA supporters were soundly beaten.

Comment by Padraig Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:44 am
I am curious to read what other commenters think about the value of endorsements from political establishment types anymore. Vallas had a bunch right out of the gate yet he lost. IMHO it looks like they aren’t worth much in Chicago.

Comment by SouthSideGT Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:45 am
===Vallas had a bunch right out of the gate yet he lost===

Endorsements don’t ever guarantee a win. They did help him fend off some attacks. It just wasn’t enough.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:54 am
Sam Cahnman got trounced by Lakeisha Purchase in Springfield Ward 5 last night, 70-29%. Probably the worst defeat of Cahnman’s long career?

https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/IL/Sangamon/117728/web.307039/#/detail/0169

Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:55 am
Equality Illinois confirmed that Clare Killman, here in Carbondale, is the first trans person to win a city council race in Illinois!

Comment by Shibboleth Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:55 am
still don’t have my potatoes in. with this rain it may not happen for weeks.

Comment by Blue Dog Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:55 am
Serious tornado damage here in West Central Illinois (Lewiston area, Table Grove). For the first time in many years, the radar imagery actually scared me into the basement. I have a jpeg on my Facebook if you care to look. Crazy stuff yesterday.

Comment by H-W Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:57 am
I look forward to a revival of school board elections where candidates primary motivation for running is ensuring a spot on the starting lineup for their kid.

Comment by Aaron Schocked Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:58 am
Vallas also had unsolicited, unhelpful endorsements and support that he had no good (or st times “any”) answer for when asked.

Was it that some of the bad “endorsers” were also in a mix that was too big to overcome?

I dunno.

The endorsers, for me, reading or hearing their own words…

They too could not portray a vision to any future.

They “knew Vallas for decades”… they “know Vallas will bring back”… they “believed Chicago needs to change course and return”

Nostalgia as a vision forward is a tough needle to thread

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 8:59 am
How many of Vallas’s endorsements came from elected officials who were “recently/newly relevant”? Did he ally with anyone who won their first election within the last 4 years?

How many of Johnson’s? I know the entire Delia coalition was in his corner.

This would seem to align well with “having a vision for the future vs reaching back to a past”.

Comment by Humboldt Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:00 am
=The Unit 5 school district referendum passed in spite of the party’s opposition.=

It is just bizarre that the BloNo republicans would be so opposed to a fairly well run district like Unit 5. There was a time that they were all for the district.

=In the end, seeing Proft, Ives, the FOP, them all aligning with Democrats was too much for Democrats that knew better than letting the worst ilk “in their house”?=

Well said OW. These associations were always what turned me off Vallas and made him unqualified in my mind. He tried to deny, but the evidence was overwhelming.

I say this at risk of being called a racism denier again, but Johnson has his own issues as well. I hope he is the uniter he claimed to be, because some of his rhetoric contradicted that.

The good news from Chicago (I think) is that both candidates were classy (based on what I heard of their speeches) in their victory and concession speeches. Changes the dynamic instead of stoking sour grapes and lets everyone move forward.

Either way, Johnson has to be a major improvement from Lightfoot.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:03 am
I really hope Paul Vallas has a month to month lease and hope his move out of Chicago goes well. Probably not a lot of boxes to pack.

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:05 am
Once you creditably put personal rights on the table Republicans loose-see Vallas, Wisconsin, Kansas.

Comment by Banish Misfortune Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:05 am
Glad to see Misty Buscher with the win in Springfield mayoral race. She did a nice job running the treasurer’s office, let’s hope that will carry over into the mayor’s office.

Comment by Steve Rogers Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:06 am
So should Dem candidates avoid endorsements from Jesse White and Dick Durbin now? Or just if they have a surname that starts with “V.” Regardless, last night showed Pritzker was smart to stay out of the mayor’s race. Curious what this outcome means for the Chicago Dem convention bid.

On another note, glad to see the McLean County GOP thoroughly rebuked with all of their endorsed candidates in contested races losing for Bloomington and Normal council and Normal school board and the Normal school referendum passing.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:07 am
=The Unit 5 school district referendum passed in spite of the party’s opposition.=

It is just bizarre that the BloNo republicans would be so opposed to a fairly well run district like Unit 5. There was a time that they were all for the district.

=In the end, seeing Proft, Ives, the FOP, them all aligning with Democrats was too much for Democrats that knew better than letting the worst ilk “in their house”?=

Well said OW. These associations were always what turned me off Vallas and made him unqualified in my mind. He tried to deny, but the evidence was overwhelming.

Johnson has his own issues as well. I hope he is the uniter he claimed to be, because some of his rhetoric contradicted that.

The good news from Chicago (I think) is that both candidates were classy (based on what I heard of their speeches) in their victory and concession speeches. Changes the dynamic instead of stoking sour grapes and lets everyone move forward.

Either way, Johnson has to be a major improvement from Lightfoot.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:12 am
looking forward to seeing an evaluation of the entire AWAKE supported list to see if any won. so far I’ve only seen losses. Vallas losing even with so many Regulars supporting him brings to mind that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:15 am
JB staying impartial endorsement-wise in the mayoral was again good judgment while too many others tried to jump on the Vallas train. Been a few train crashes lately, haven’t there?

Comment by Lincoln Lad Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:17 am
>In the end, Durbin keeps losing. Maybe Durbin can learn this time that his visions are the past, and others are going to pass him by?

His Vallas endorsement takes me back to the year the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Mark Kirk over Tammy Duckworth. I don’t think I’ll get over either. Happy for Pritzker that he won’t have to deal with a mayor who was speaking to Awake Illinois while they were bashing his pandemic efforts.

Comment by Earnest Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:19 am
I believe that Awake IL became so insane and also juuuuust well-known enough that they provided a handy tool for left- and center- and normal-leaning school board voters to use as a “Who Not To Vote For Guide.”

Congratulations, you guys!

Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:25 am
If Durbin chooses to run again, I’d support a primary opponent. We deserve a choice. He really disappointed me in this race. It matters…

Comment by Lincoln Lad Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:26 am
I would say endorsements in general don’t move the needle that much and certainly not as much as they used to. We have a more segmented media environment because of social media and even how traditional media operates now. When you have more boices competing for attention and people getting their news/opinions/etc., from more places, the singular input of one figure doesn’t mean as much. With Vallas, he also sought endorsements from people like Durbin and Jesse White, who while being recognizable names, aren’t really of the moment. So it isn’t that endorsements don’t do anything, but it’s much more marginal and harder to predict what benefit you’ll get.

Comment by Left of what Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:28 am
Voters defeated phonies in the 2022 GOP primary and mayoral runoff last night. Pretty arrogant to reinvent oneself as “lifelong Democrat” after so much right wing behavior. Just like it was for BLM/JB-supporting Irvin to run a GOP dog whistle campaign.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:31 am
On the matter of endorsements, this Natalie Moore piece for the S-T* is certainly worthwhile:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2023/4/4/23670457/mayoral-race-brandon-johnson-black-political-leaders-city-council-politics-natalie-moore-column

– MrJM

*which I found via Isabel’s always essential morning briefing

Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:31 am
It’s probably best to hold off on any full discussion of turnout, until all the mail-in ballots arrive and are counted.

Comment by ZC Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:32 am
The biggest impact the endorsements had was to remind me how self-interested the remnants of the old Daley crew are. They would happily throw in with the Awake IL / FOP / Charlie Kirk endorsed school privatizer if it means they think they can get their fingers back into everything.

I have no idea if Johnson will be an effective mayor, and he definitely will face some pushback in a number of areas. But I’m glad we rebuked all the “centrists” who were happy to lay down with the right wingers.

Comment by Homebody Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:32 am
While this topic did not consume a lot of oxygen in the race, I do wonder if Paul Vallas’ position on abortion had a significant impact?

Comment by Anon 9:34 Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:34 am
In four years Vallas will be 73 going on 74. I hope he retires.

Comment by Big Dipper Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:37 am
Regarding endorsements, the impact is much more marginal compared to previous eras. We are in a much more saturated and segmented media environment, largely because of the impact social media has had on media in general. People have more opportunities to get their news and opinions from more sources, which diminishes the influence of any one source. Not saying endorsements do not move the needle, but it is not a sure thing, and definitely not as sure of a thing as it used to be. Also, Vallas was seeking endorsements from people like Durbin and Jesse White, who are recognizable but not really of the moment.

Comment by Left of what Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:39 am
Sorry for double post. It did not show up and was not sure if I had used a banned character or something.

Comment by Left of what Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:41 am
It was a very close election between two candidates that almost half of voters in February did not vote for. It is pretty hard to draw firm conclusions from that data.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:43 am
It seems that the voting public might get that “solving crime” involves long-term investments and strategies.

These results bolster pride in the SafeT Act and its associated bills.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:44 am
there are plenty of famous and hangers on faces I’d like to see today. they thought they were getting back to old old days. Skinny Sheehan……

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:55 am
==very close==

I don’t agree that is was very close.

Comment by Big Dipper Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:56 am
=== ==very close==

I don’t agree that is was very close.===

Concur.

Close would be us waiting for days on an outcome.

It’s overwhelming enough that mail in ballots are not changing the outcome at this point.

That’s a solid win.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:58 am
Tried rutabaga fries for the first time. I loved them. My partner brought home a sack of 5 of these huge roots. So far I have cooked one with a pot roast, made oven roasted pieces and now fries. It’s been good in all of them. Rutabaga nutritionals are much better than potato nutritionals for anyone trying to reduce their carbs.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 9:59 am
The conclusion you could draw from turnout that half of those who voted in February did not vote yesterday is that they preferred someone who was on the ballot then but did not have a strong preference between yesterday’s candidates.

Comment by Left of what Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:06 am
Given how many Chicagoans have first- or second-hand experience with unpaid parking tickets and water bills, attacking Johnson for his was a mistake. The hard choices and the worry and shame people carry when in this bind are heavy weights.

Forget about the cost of eggs and milk — the steep, less visible costs of accessing and maintaining responsible middle-class status (car, disability, life insurance for starters) eat up a lot of income.

Going after Johnson for falling behind while earning a decent salary backfired because it made Johnson more relatable. Certainly more relatable than Vallas with his million-dollar contracts.

I don’t have a political background, I come here to learn from the commentator community and, from time to time, to offer a non-political take when I notice a blind spot (like this one). My comments usually go unpublished (which is fine, Rich’s house, rules, etc.), but the way Johnson was sneered at on this website bothered me, so, even if it is only read by Isabel and Rich, thank you for taking this in.

Comment by Marine Life Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:11 am
There may have bern optimism that Vallas would win at the beginning of the night on WGN-TV. Also heavy spelunkery by GOP Pat Brady on the panel, gloom and doom for Chicago, that Johnson won. Maybe that’s a reason the party is a super-super minority, so much fearmongering?

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:15 am
==I am curious to read what other commenters think about the value of endorsements from political establishment types anymore. Vallas had a bunch right out of the gate yet he lost. IMHO it looks like they aren’t worth much in Chicago.==

Except for a VERY few cases (the only one I can think of right now is Trump in a Republican Primary, but it all ebbs and flows), endorsements only matter if they come with money or manpower. Vallas didn’t need the money, and guys like White and Durbin just can’t provide manpower. Plus, as I alluded to a week or so ago on here, it was not clear that all of Vallas’ aldermanic endorsers had active ward organizations that they could turn on for him.

Which is not to say that Johnson’s alders had ward organizations, either, but he had CTU, and Chuy/Ramirez certainly had manpower they could lend him.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:28 am
I would also suggest that while Bernie obviously CANNOT swing an election to anyone (or else he’d be President right now), his mere endorsement (or, well, endorsement paired with a rally) *does* matter.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:29 am
=Either way, Johnson has to be a major improvement from Lightfoot.=

Amen.

Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:31 am
After yesterday’s long day, I was tempted to sleep in. But I had to meet the election crew early in the morning so they could tear down the polling place. May have to take an afternoon nap.

As the the election itself in Springfield, some of the people I voted for won, and some lost. I think the mayoral change will be good for the city, but time will tell.

And I’ll add a big Thank You to all the candidates that already had their signs picked up by 9:30 AM. I only had to toss 2 signs in the dumpster.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:31 am
Progressives have a few years to figure out who they going to rally behind for Durbin’s senate seat.

Comment by twowaystreet Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:31 am
===Close would be us waiting for days on an outcome.===

A ~15,000 vote margin against the candidate everyone wanted to face in the runoff is not close? Ok. Mayor Lightfoot thought she was at the top of the heap when she beat Preckwinkle in a landslide.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:32 am
== is not close?==

You said very close.

Comment by Big Dipper Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:37 am
== If Durbin chooses to run again, I’d support a primary opponent. We deserve a choice. He really disappointed me in this race. ==

Durbin has, mostly, disappointed and sometimes angered me for over 30 years. (full disclosure: it’s partly personal)

He’s a skilled politician who knows how to use his incumbency and win elections. I don’t think he will leave the game until he is ready to do so on his own terms.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 10:40 am
==Progressives have a few years to figure out who they going to rally behind for Durbin’s senate seat.==

If he doesn’t retire, I doubt anyone takes a poke at him, it would just be too much work.

If he does, I kinda feel like we should start practicing “Senator Underwood”?

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:06 am
Read the story in the Times about Chicago’s turnout.
It looks like 2/3rds skipped the election.

Comment by Back to the Future Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:15 am
Thanks everybody for the comments on endorsements. I really appreciate the insights here. A while ago I posted that Vallas was just another iteration of “the man” to black voters and I am eager to see the voting totals from the black wards. Thanks again.

Comment by SouthSideGT Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:16 am
The real political “winner” was US Rep Jan Schakowsky who was all in with Johnson from the beginning.

Comment by This Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:27 am
There’s no way to quantify this, but I suspect that inclement weather may have contributed to Johnson’s narrow victory on Tuesday. Vallas was depending upon seniors to vote for him and while this demographic delivered results in several wards, the Vallas senior vote did not max out.

In other wards won by Vallas, Johnson posted respectable numbers and kept the margins close. Big surprises were the 44th and 47th Wards that went “Woke.”

Comment by Gravitas Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 11:52 am
===Tried rutabaga fries for the first time. I loved them. My partner brought home a sack of 5 of these huge roots. So far I have cooked one with a pot roast, made oven roasted pieces and now fries. It’s been good in all of them. Rutabaga nutritionals are much better than potato nutritionals for anyone trying to reduce their carbs. ===

They’re also good mashed. You can do a half-and-half mix with potatoes to healthy up your potatoes a bit, if you don’t like the straight rutabaga flavor when mashed. (It’s a bit peppery.) You have to cook them longer than potatoes to mash them!

Regarding endorsements, I’m trying to remember when one made a difference to me that wasn’t a hyperlocal endorsement — like, if an outgoing village board member whose work I respected endorsed a particular newcomer in the race, that would matter to me.

But I already knew a lot about Vallas, so his endorsements didn’t change my opinion of him (although they did change my opinion of a few of the endorsers). A few of Johnson’s endorsements made me pay closer attention to him during the primary, but once we were into the runoff I’d heard enough about him to make up my own mind.

Comment by Suburban Mom Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:04 pm
Kwame is the big winner. And the big losers are the people who live and work in a City where the new Mayor doesn’t believe in police. That approach has never worked anywhere. And for every crime, there is a victim. Crime victims the only citizens whom the progressive left doesn’t see as victims. Its upside down.

Comment by Always something Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:07 pm
After so many election cycles with early voting and voting by mail, I find it hard to fathom those voters who insist upon waiting for election day to vote in precinct. I think some seniors look forward to seeing their neighbors and socializing a little bit at the polling place. But when the weather is bad, these voters tend to stay at home.

Years ago, I was told that the February election date was a byproduct of Chicago Machine Politics from an era when there were two political party machines. Voters trudging through the snow often resulted in low turnouts which the machine politicians preferred. Small turn outs favored incumbents, while large turn outs led to upsets.

As one comment noted, roughly 2/3rds of eligible voters did not cast ballots yesterday, Johnson is a winner, but he cannot claim a mandate as Lightfoot did. LL really squandered her opportunities as mayor,

Comment by Gravitas Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:13 pm
===but he cannot claim a mandate===

A win is a win.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:17 pm
===And the big losers are the people who live and work in a City where the new Mayor doesn’t believe in police.===

LOL

You believe in the FOP leadership?

Start there before you worry aloud about any people.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:25 pm
===As one comment noted, roughly 2/3rds of eligible voters did not cast ballots yesterday, Johnson is a winner, but===

Yeah, no… no.

If Vallas needed “turnout” then that’s on a campaign.

That’s why the only poll that matters is election totals.

When there’s a “mandatory” turnout number…

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:27 pm
===that went “Woke.”===

Maybe they’re against a candidate that embraced racist thinkers, insurrection apologists and conspiracy theorists.

Amirite?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:32 pm
-but he cannot claim a mandate-

Brandon won. He won fair and square. That’s what a majority of the voters want. In elections, as Richard J. Daley has said: ” those who don’t vote, don’t count”.

Comment by Steve Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:42 pm
I hope the mayor-elect is a huge success and wish him well.
His collaborative style will be a big plus compared to Mayor Lightfoot’s approach. He would be wise to reach out to Vallas and tap his commitment to the city.

Comment by This Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:48 pm
-His collaborative style-

Mayor Johnson will need to work with Springfield to achieve many of the goals set out in his platform. I assume he has more votes on some issues than others.

Comment by Steve Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:58 pm
Non-election related …

Happy First Contact Day!

Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:18 pm
RE: Endorsements— do not forget Lightfoot started surging in 2019 after the Sun-Times got behind her. In a field of 14, where the progressive vote was split between Preckwinkle, Lori, and Amara Enyia, that allowed Lightfoot to separate herself from the pack.

Comment by Nathan Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:32 pm
Congratulations to Mr. Johnson.
A win is a win and he and his supporters worked hard to carry the day.
My point in bringing up the fact that you can win an election for Mayor of Chicago with only 17% of the people eligible to vote is pretty baffling.
Could be the voter rolls need to be cleaned up, the press needs to highlight the election more, we need some kind of civics programs in our schools or just better candidates.
This low turnout may also be an indication that voters just don’t like either candidate very much or things like the ComEd 4 cases
lead voters to believe their votes don’t matter.
We do all kinds of research on issues. Perhaps it would be useful to try to figure out why this democracy idea is not getting voters involved.

Comment by Back to the Future Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:37 pm
The Windy City lives up to its name as the political hot air stirs up storms of commentary. In the 60827 (part outside Chicago) it was a big nothingburger.

Comment by thisjustinagain Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:36 pm
-only 17% of the people eligible to vote is pretty baffling.-

A lot of Chicago residents don’t feel politics is vital or important to their life.

Comment by Steve Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 3:00 pm
-only 17% of the people eligible to vote is pretty baffling.-

How about move local elections in odd-numbered years to November. On the real Election Day. I remember local elections in such years in November, perhaps to about the late 1990s. Maybe having it on the real Election Day in the rest of the country might improve turnout.

Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 3:06 pm
People who are too lazy to vote are too lazy to do the research necessary to make an intelligent choice, so I’m fine with them not voting.

Comment by Big Dipper Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 4:43 pm