In the last consolidated election in 2021, out of the 50,000-plus registered Evanston voters, only about 25% voted citywide. If you want to check the actual numbers, please follow this link.
Evanston’s nine wards each have approximately 5,000 registered voters. In each of the races, less than half, and in some cases less than a quarter, of the voters decided who would represent you and your family in all matters pertaining to the city.
If you are comfortable with that, please ignore the rest of this letter.
If, on the other hand, you feel your concerns about anything from clean streets to disaster preparedness, how your tax dollars are being utilized, education, electric vs. gas powered leaf blowers … (insert your own particular needs/concerns here) are not being adequately addressed, do something.
The most effective way of doing something is over the next few days, take a few minutes out of your day to go to the lower level of the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center and exercise your right to vote.
Over the years of being an election worker, I have heard every excuse as to why people do not vote. Most of those excuses revolve around lack of time/convenience. This election cycle I seriously doubt you will spend more than 15 minutes from arriving to leaving.
Fifteen minutes to ensure the right people are running our school boards and conducting city business on your behalf for the next two to four or more years.
By the way, during the last presidential election, the average wait time was no more than 30 minutes, and the ballots were far more involved, and we were serving about 1,000 voters a day.
Another excuse is “I can’t get to an early voting site because I work out of town.” There are many EV sites scattered around suburban Cook County. If you are registered to vote in suburban Cook County you can vote at any of the sites. The exception is Chicago: only Chicago voters can vote in Chicago, and Chicago voters cannot vote at suburban sites.
“I prefer to vote on Election Day.” That’s great, but make sure you do. You have from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and if you are in line at 7 p.m. but have yet to vote, you will be allowed to vote. Mail-in voting is also available.
There are voters in this city who have very legitimate reasons to not get to a polling place due to advanced age or physical challenges, yet every election I have worked they show up and are happy to exercise their right to vote.
If you feel these elections are not as important as the state or national elections … take 15 minutes and think about that. Who is making the decisions about the neighborhood you live in, the schools your children attend? Does that matter to you?
Steve Lemieux-Jordan