Batavia Voter Guide: 2021 Local Elections

BATAVIA, IL — April 6 is Election Day again in Batavia; but that doesn’t mean you’ll have to wait until then to cast your ballot, with numerous early voting locations now open throughout Kane County.

Early voting opened across the county on March 22 and will run through April 5. Voters do not need to give a reason why they cannot make it to the polls on Election Day. They only need to fill out an application at the early voting site.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day.

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Check to see if you are registered to vote by heading to the Illinois State Board of Elections website. The law requires registered voters to keep their name and address current, and you will not be able to vote in the election if you are not properly registered.

Registered voters in Kane County who do not have a voter's registration card or who have a question regarding their registration, should contact the Clerk's Office at 630-232-3400 (Geneva) or 630-232-5950 (Aurora satellite office).

State laws require early voters to provide a valid photo ID to an election official before receiving a ballot to vote early. Valid forms of ID include a current driver's license, a driver's license of state ID, university/college ID or another government-issued ID with a photo, such as a passport.

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Kane County is set to open more than two dozen early voting locations — including three in the Batavia area — for residents to cast their ballots ahead of the April 6 election.

Seven locations are serving as permanent locations for early and grace-period voting through April 5, and there will be eight alternative voting locations that will each be open for several days, according to Kane County Clerk John Cunningham.

Election officials will also set up mobile voting locations at 10 locations across Kane County before Election Day, including seven Jewel-Osco stores.

Check out the map below to find more details on where and when you can vote early in Kane County.

Request A Mail-In Ballot

The last day to request a mail ballot, including military and overseas voters is April 1. The last day for mail ballots to be postmarked is April 6.

If you are returning your vote-by-mail ballot by mail, it must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than April 20.

Your ballot can be returned to the election authority by mail or delivered in person. In-person delivery can be by either the voter or by any person authorized by the voter.

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If delivered, the ballot must be received by the election authority prior to the polls closing at 7 p.m. April 6. If mailed, it must be postmarked by Election Day.

What's On The April 6 Ballot

You can check out who is on your ballot by entering your address into the Kane County sample ballot locator.

Mayor Jeffery Schielke is running unopposed in his bid for an 11th term in office. He is one of the longest-serving mayors in the U.S., after first being elected in 1981.

Kate Garrett is also running unopposed to be Batavia’s clerk, while no candidates entered the race for city treasurer.

Shaunak Dave is challenging Incumbent Ald. Nicholas Cerone to represent Batavia’s 6th Ward on the City Council, while Sarah Vogelsinger and Robin Barraza are vying to represent the 7th Ward.

Five candidates are running unopposed for seats on the Batavia City Council: Jennifer Baerren (1st Ward), Leah Leman (2nd Ward), George Ajazi (3rd Ward), Tony Malay (4th Ward) and Mark Uher (5th Ward). Baerren, Malay and Uher are incumbents.

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Christopher Sofia faces no opponent in his campaign to fill an unexpired council term in the city’s 2nd Ward.

Eight Batavia Township incumbents are running as a slate for re-election. None of the candidates from the “Batavia Township 2021” slate face competition for their seats.

Leigh Tracy is running for supervisor; Penelope Tracy is running for clerk; Tammy Kavanaugh is running for assessor; and Christopher Long is running for highway commissioner. Four candidates — Walter Donat, Tom Sharp, Troy Tousana and John West — are seeking four open seats on the Batavia Township Board of Trustees.

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There are also two uncontested races for seats on the Batavia Park District Board of Commissioners, with John Tilmon seeking a six-year term and Molly Connolly seeking to fill an unexpired term on the board. Both are incumbents.

Four candidates are seeking four open seats on the Batavia District 101 school board: Aaron Kilburg, Craig Meadows, Susan Locke and Ronald “RJ” Mathis. Meadows and Locke are incumbents.

Four candidates are running for four seats on the Batavia Board of Library Trustees: Marianne Fasano, Jennifer Culotta, Christy Ford and Kathryn Hubbard. Culotta is an incumbent.

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Three races for the Kane County Regional Board of School Trustees also appear on Batavia-area ballots, though only one has a declared candidate. Winfried Cordell Cooper Jr. is running for a six-year term on the board.

Four candidates — Rebecca Oliver, Patrick Kelsey, Giselle Gonzalez and Sandra Gonzalez — are running for two open seats on the Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees. Oliver and Kelsey are incumbents.