Midterm Election 2018: What To Know For Tinley Park

TINLEY PARK, IL — Election Day is Tuesday. Before you head to the polls, here's what you need to know about the upcoming midterm election if you're a Cook County voter.

How Late Can I Vote? The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Not sure where you vote? You can find your polling place in Will County and Cook County.

When are Election Results Official? All vote totals are unofficial and winners are projected until the clerk's office has tabulated all results, including provisional ballots from Election Day and vote by mail ballots postmarked by Election Day. Those votes will be posted 14 days after Election Day, and 21 calendar days after an election, the results are canvassed and become official.

Need a ride to the polls? Uber and Lyft are offering Election Day deals and potential freebies. Lyft said it's offering 50 percent off rides across the country Tuesday. Visit BuzzFeed to access a Lyft promo code. Uber is working with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works to provide free rides in areas where transportation to the polls is hard to come by as part of its "Uber Drives the Vote" promotion.

Uber also is offering $10 off a single ride to the polls on Election Day for the Uber Express Pool, which could mean a free ride depending on how far you have to go. To get the deal, riders must have the most updated version of the Uber app. Then enter the promotional code VOTE2018 in your app. (Tap Menu > Payment > Add Promo Code).

The Ballots

State Races

Governor/Lieutenant governor

• Bruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti (Republican)
• J.B. Pritzker/Juliana Stratton (Democrat)
• Grayson Kash Jackson/Sanjeev Mohip (Libertarian)
• William "Sam" McCann/Aaron Merreighn (Conservative)

More Patch coverage:

• Pritzker Campaign Releases Records Refuting Discrimination Suit
  
• JB Pritzker Spending Nearly Doubles Gov. Rauner In Home Stretch
  
• Illinois Governor Debate: Rauner, Pritzker Meet In Final Showdown

Attorney General

• Erika Harold (Republican)
• Kwame Raoul (Democrat)
• Bubba Harsy (Libertarian)

More Patch coverage:

• Illinois AG Candidate Once Said Harassment Leads To Promiscuity

Secretary of State

• Jason Helland (Republican)
• Jesse White (Democrat)
• Steve Dutner (Libertarian)

Comptroller

• Darlene Senger (Republican)
• Susana A. Mendoza (Democrat)
• Claire Ball (Libertarian)

Treasurer

• Jim Dodge (Republican)
• Michael Frerichs (Democrat)
• Michael Leheney (Libertarian)

Representative in Congress, 3rd District

• Arthur J. Jones (Republican)
• Daniel William Lipinski (Democrat)
• Write-in candidates: Full list here

More Patch Coverage:

• Sharon's Not Carin' For Neo-Nazi Arthur Jones' Support
• Former Primary Foe Supports Lipinski Over GOP Neo-Nazi Candidate
• 'Holocaust Never Happened,'Art Jones, Republican Congressional Candidate Says

Representative in General Assembly, 37th District

• Margo McDermed (Republican)
• Matthew Hunt (Democrat)

Cook County Board

Commissioner, 17th District

• Sean M. Morrison (Republican)
• Abdelnasser Rashid (Democrat)

Cook County Judges

Fifty-nine judges are up for retention, including ten candidates are seeking seats on benches for the first time in contested races. Cook County voters will decide on Nov. 6 whether to retain all 59 circuit court judges

• VoteForJudges.org offers non-partisan information on all the judicial candidates. The Chicago Appleseed Fund, the creator of the website, does not recommend or not recommend judges, but provides research-based evaluations from over a dozen bar associations.
• VoteForJudges will publish the judicial evaluation results from the bar associations as they become available, and the endorsements from the Chicago Tribune.
• The Chicago Bar Association provides a voter's smart guide of its judicial recommendations and non-recommendations, as well as a phone app to bring into the voting booth.

• Illinois Bar Association provides summaries and full judicial evaluations. This information is also shared on VoteForJudges.
• Chicago Council on Lawyers is a non-partisan, public interest bar group. The CCL's evaluations are available now on the Council's website and through VoteforJudges.org.
• IllinoisJudges.Net is maintained by the Illinois Civil Justice League.The ICJL is a coalition of interests in Illinois, including taxpayers, consumers, small businesses, lawyers, doctors, local governments, big businesses, not-for-profit organizations and individual citizens. The coalition fights what it believes to be abuses to the civil justice system. ICJL includes its own ratings, as well as drawing evaluations from bar associations and newspaper endorsements.
• Injustice Watch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit multimedia journalism organization that exposes institutional failures that obstruct justice in Cook County, has also compiled a 2018 judicial voting guide.

Voters are permitted to bring newspaper endorsements, printouts, sample ballots and smart phones to view judicial evaluations into the voting booth.

Will County

Clerk

• Laurie McPhillips (Republican)
• Lauren Staley-Ferry (Democrat)

More Patch Coverage:

• Laurie McPhillips Gets 2 Big Will County Clerk Endorsements
  
• Staley-Ferry Thanks 'Organized Labor' For Clerk Victor
  
• Forgery Distracts Lauren Staley-Ferry's County Clerk Campaign

Treasurer

• Steve Weber (Republican)
• Timothy M. Brophy (Democrat)

Sheriff

• Jim Reilly (Republican)
• Mike Kelley (Democrat)

More Patch Coverage:

• Reilly Aims To Beat Will County Sheriff Kelley

Judge, 12th Circuit (filling vacancy of Hon. Daniel J. Rozak)

• Ben Braun (Republican)
• David Garcia (Democrat)

Judge, 12th Circuit (filling vacancy of Hon. Carla Alessio Policandriotes)

• Victoria McKay Kennison (Republican)
• Vincent Cornelius (Democrat)

County Board District 1 (vote for 2)

• Judy Ogalla (Republican)
• Laurie Summers (Democrat)
• Bob Howard (Democrat)

County Board District 2 (vote for 2)

• James "Jim" Moustis (Republican)
• Keith Ogle (Republican)
• Amanda L. Koch (Democrat)

County Board District 4 (vote for 2)

• Christian John Cairy (withdrew as of June 21, objection pending, appointed to fill vacancy; Republican)
• Jacqueline L. Traynere (Democrat)
• Kenneth Harris (Democrat)

County Board District 5 (vote for 2)

• Gretchen Fritz (Republican)
• Darren Bennefield (Republican)
• Meta Mueller (Democrat)
• Mazyar M. Hedayat (Democrat)

County Board District 6 (vote for 2)

• Don Gould (Republican)
• Debbie Militello (Republican)
• Joe VanDuyne (Democrat)

County Board District 7 (vote for 2)

• Stephen J. Balich (Republican)
• Mike Fricilone (Republican)
• Kyle P. Killacky (Democrat)

County Board District 9 (vote for 2)

• Annete Parker (Republican)
• Rachel F. Ventura (Democrat)
• Jim Murphy (Democrat)

County Board District 11 (vote for 2)

• Julie Anne Berkowicz (Republican)
• Kathy Havel (Republican)
• Michelle "Mimi" Cowan (Democrat)
• Jim Kopchok (appointed to fill vacancy; Democrat)

Referenda

Tinley Park-Park District

"Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for the Tinley Park-Park District, Cook and Will Counties, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.0713% above the limiting rate for levy year 2017 for park purposes and be equal to 0.3479% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2018?"

1. The approximate amount of taxes extendable at the most recently extended limiting rate is $3,802,248.48, and the approximate amount of taxes extendable if the proposition is approved is $4,782,248.48.
2. For the 2018 levy year the approximate amount of the additional tax extendable against property containing a single family residence and having a fair market value at the time of the referendum of $100,000 is estimated to be $21.12 in Cook County, Illinois, and $23.76 in Will County, Illinois.
3. If the proposition is approved, the aggregate extension for 2018 will be determined by the limiting rate set forth in the proposition, rather than the otherwise applicable limiting rate calculated under the provisions of the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (commonly known as the Property Tax Cap Law).

Village of Frankfort Sales Tax

"Shall the corporate authorities of the Village of Frankfort, Will and Cook Counties, Illinois, be authorized to levy a Non-Home Rule Retailers' Occupation Tax and a Non-Home Rule Service Occupation Tax at the rate of one (1%) percent for expenditure on municipal operations, expenditures on public infrastructure, or property tax relief?"

More Patch Coverage:

• Should Frankfort Raise Its Sales Tax?
  
• Frankfort Puts Sales Tax Hike Referendum On November Ballot

Frankfort Park District Commissioners

"Shall the number of commissioners on the board of the Frankfort Park District be reduced from seven (7) to five (5)?"

Village of Midlothian, Tax Incentive Program

"Should Cook County work to create and maintain a tax incentive program that results in lower property tax bills and reduces the tax burden on local property owners and taxpayers?"

Cook County Firearms

"Should the State of Illinois strengthen penalties for the illegal trafficking of firearms and require all gun dealers to be certified by the State?"

Cook County Minimum Wage

"Shall the minimum wage in your municipality match the $13 per hour Cook County minimum wage law for adults over the age of 18 by July 1, 2020, and be indexed to the consumer price index after that?"

Cook County Earned Sick Time

"Shall your municipality match the Cook County earned sick time law which allows for workers to earn up to 40 hours (5 days) of sick time a year to take care of their own health or a family member's health?"

Go to the websites for Will County and Cook County for a full list of referenda on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Photo via Shutterstock