Why The November 2 Election Is Called General Election

A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election.

General election is also a term used in opposition to primary election. In the United States, primary elections serve to narrow down a field of candidates, and general elections actually elect candidates to offices. The general election is usually held on Election Day, the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.

It meets the above definition of "general election" in that the entire United States House of Representatives is elected on Election Day, though not the entire United States Congress. Prior to the 17th Amendment, members of the United States Senate were not directly elected by the people but rather by their state legislature. Though Senators have been directly elected since then, only one-third of them are up for election on any given Election Day. The U.S. President is also chosen during a November general election that follows primaries.

On November 2, or prior to that date, voters made choices for various elected offices on the Federal, State and local areas. This Primary Election, as opposed to the General Election, was held February 2.

In the Primary Election voters chose candidates to be included on the ballot for the General Election. During the period between the two elections other candidates could be added under certain terms. For instance candidates could file for candidacy as an independent or an entire slate for a Party that does not have a slate selected.

Opportunities To See and Hear From Candidates For November Election

Two candidates' forums are being sponsored by the McHenry County League of Women Voters. One on Sunday, October 17 in the McHenry County College Cafeteria from 2:00-5:00 p.m. will feature McHenry County Board candidates.

Two are to be elected from each of the six districts.

The candidates included:

District 1, Anna May Miller (I), Cary, Republican

Robert Nowak, Cary, Republican

District 2: Mark Booras, Crystal Lake, Democrat

Donna Kurtz, Crystal Lake, Republican

Kenneth D. Koehler (I), Republican

District 3: Lori J. McConville, Crystal Lake,  Democrat

Nick Provenzano, McHenry, Republican

Barbara Wheeler (I), Crystal Lake, Republican

District 4: Jeff S. Thirtyacre, Spring Grove, Democrat

Sandra Fay Salgado (I), McHenry, Republican

Peter J. Merkel (I), McHenry, Republican

District 5: James P. Kennedy (I), Lake in the Hills, Democrat

Frank Wedig, Woodstock, Green

John P. Jung, Jr., Woodstock, Republican

Tina R. Hill (I), Woodstock, Republican

District 6: Dennis Palys, Wonder Lake, Democrat

Mary t. McCann (I), Woodstock, Republican

Diane Evertsen, Harvard, Republican

Candidates for the County Clerkf and County Sheriff will have the same opportunities on Monday, October 25. This session is being held in McHenry County College Auditorium from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

For County Clerk

Mark L. Freund, Woodstock, Democrat

Katherine. Schultz (I), Woodstock, Republican

For County Sheriff

Mike Mahon, Lake In The Hills, Democrat

Gus Philpott, Woodstock, Green

Keith Nygren, Hebron, Republican

Not Registered to Vote? Handle That Task And Vote At Same Time

If you are not a registered voter and you missed the Tuesday deadline for registering, there is a grace period to accomplish that important task.

McHenry County Clerk Katherine C. Schultz is announcing a "Grace Period" allowed by state law which means people may register to vote between now andl October 26th for the General Primary Election.

This important task may be accomplished in-person during normal office hours at the clerk's office, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Room 107, Woodstock.

However, people who register to vote during this two-week period must vote in the County Clerk's Office at the time they register and will not be eligible to vote at their precinct polling place on November 2.

This means the voter who needs to register to vote also gets the voting task out of the way in one visit.

To be eligible to vote, a person must be a US citizen, 18 years old by Election Day, and a resident of the precinct for at least 30 days prior to Election Day. Two (2) forms of ID are necessary both with their name and one (1) with their current address.

For more information about grace period registration, contact the County Clerk's office, at 815-334-4242.

Sheriff Challenger Touts Financial Savings

Democratic Sheriff’s candidate Mike Mahon, Monday released the details on his plan to cut $1 million annually from the McHenry County Sheriff’s budget with no impacts on public safety. He added that more cuts could probably be identified and implemented once he was Sheriff.

“Nothing matters more in these tough economic times than that every nickel of taxpayer funds be targeted to accomplish the essential mission, not to build good will for the officeholder,” Mahon said. “Feel-good programs, waste and cronyism are out and focused, sensible programs are in. That’s the message from taxpayers to those at every level of government.”

In almost every government budget, far and away the largest expense is salaries of full-time employees. Cuts in the permanent payroll are often the hardest to make, but also the most significant, in that the reduction continues in following years unless the positions are restored. Also, every full-time position carries associated benefits such as pension, medical insurance and the like. These benefit costs are customarily estimated at 25% of salary.

Mahon suggested that the following positions could be eliminated without adverse impact:

                  

Proposed Savings
Position	Salary	Benefits	Total
CALEA Coordinator	$71,574	$17,893	$89,467
EEOC Officer	$91,001	$22,750	$113,751
1 Police Captain	$107,403	$26,850	$134,253
1 Deputy of Corrections	$106,998	$26,749	$133,747
1 Court Security Chief	$61,799	$15,449	$77,248
1 Business Manager	$81,200	$20,300	$101,500
1 Mechanic Supervisor	$82,857	$20,714	$103,571
TOTAL	$602,832	$150,705	$753,537

According to recent studies, today the overwhelming trend in government and business is for higher span of control ratios (i.e. fewer supervisors over larger numbers of officers). Advocates of this leaner, “flatter” strategy cite factors like improving communications and reducing costs by eliminating multiple levels of management as the rationale for the trend. They say that to budget-conscious jurisdictions, the possible financial saving with little perceived increased risk is attractive.

As an example of top-heavy supervision in the current force structure of the Sheriff’s Office, Mahon cited the Investigative Bureau, which currently employs a Lieutenant, 4 Sergeants, 9 detectives and 5 deputies. The Sergeant in charge of the evidence room supervises only 2 deputies, the Narcotics Sergeant supervises only 2 detectives and the Apprehension Sergeant supervises 2 deputies. The Detective Sergeant supervises 7 detectives. The span of control for Sergeants in that Bureau therefore ranges from 1/2 to 1/7

For the Sheriff’s Office as a whole, reductions could be achieved by the elimination of three supervisors (Sergeants or Lieutenants) by attrition, and reassignment of the various rank-and-file officers to other supervisors.

Thus, 3 Supervisors at $90,000 X 3 + 25% personnel benefits = $337,500

This amount, combined with the $753,537 detailed above, equals a Grand Total of $1,091,037.

Even with the changes articulated above, the Sheriff’s Office as a whole would fall well within the acceptable levels of span of control as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Not only could we cut supervisors, but my plan includes placing more gold stars on the street, some of whom are currently house-bound in the headquarters or other offices,” Mahon said. “I am also confident that further cuts could be achieved, but this would be a good start. We need to get the fat out of government, and it won’t be easy, but it’s the only way to restore the trust of taxpayers.”

Mahon is challenging Republican incumbent Keith Nygren, a Republican, who has served as sheriff for over 13 years. Also in the race is Gus Philpott, as a candidate on the Green Party ticket.  

An Important Day Is Fast Approaching--Be Sure Of Proper Voter Registration

Election time is fast approaching--the time when all citizens may exercise the right that comes with citizenship in the United States. However, there is something the individual must do in order to exercise that right to cast a ballot in the upcoming November 2, 2010 General Election—they must be properly registered electors

Registered voters who have moved from one precinct to another within the County since they last registered, or from one address to another within the precinct of their residence, MUST NOTIFY the County Clerk in writing by signing an application for change of residence or by returning their present voter's card to the County Clerk's Office specifying the new address, on or before Tuesday, October 5, 2010.

A person residing in his election district thirty (30) days on or before the date of the election, or any person who shall be eighteen years of age on or before the date of the election shall be permitted to register, if otherwise qualified.
VOTERS who are REGISTERED IN ANOTHER COUNTY and are new residents of McHenry County MUST APPEAR before the County Clerk or a Deputy Registrar and register in McHenry County. Two ID's are required, and one must bear current name and address. Please contact the County Clerk's Office for information if you wish to register with a local deputy registrar or you may access our web site at and click on voting registration.

NOTE: Anyone registering to vote by mail must provide sufficient proof of identity, if requesting an Absentee Ballot be mailed.

To constitute residence under this Act a permanent abode and dwelling place within the county is necessary.
REGISTERED VOTERS who do not have a voter's registration card, or who have a question regarding their registration, should contact the County Clerk's Office immediately at 815-334-4242.

REGISTERED VOTERS who have CHANGED THEIR NAME must RE-REGISTER.
PROPERLY REGISTERED VOTERS DO NOT HAVE TO RE-REGISTER.

The county Clerk's Office at Woodstock is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. The County Clerk's Office is located at the County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock, IL. Mailing address is 2200 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098. Anyone with questions regarding their Voter Registration status must contact the Clerk's Office.

Illinois Election Law requires you to keep your address current. You CANNOT VOTE for Local Candidates if you are not properly registered. You CANNOT VOTE on any local propositions if you are not properly registered. Please contact the County Clerk's office at 815-334-4242, IMMEDIATELY if you have changed your address and have not yet notified the County Clerk's office.

IT IS YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE; PLEASE DO NOT FORFEIT THAT RIGHT.

Absentee Voting Information

Thursday, September 23
The first day voters may apply for absentee ballot for the November 2 General Election.

Who is qualified to vote an Absentee Ballot:

• All persons who are registered voters in McHenry County are eligible to cast an absentee ballot.
• Persons, who have registered to vote by mail, must provide identification or vote in person the first time they cast a ballot.

In addition, the following unregistered voters are eligible to vote by absentee ballot;

• Members of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine and the spouses and dependents whether serving in the United States or abroad
• U.S. citizens who maintained a residence in McHenry County immediately prior to their temporary departure from the U.S.
• U.S. citizens and their spouses or dependents, overseas by virtue of employment

How to Obtain an Absentee Ballot
By Mail
You may request an application for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you. To request an application you may call the County Clerk’s office at 815‐334‐4242 or email The County Clerk’s office at countyclerk@co.mchenry.il.us

The Clerk’s office will need the voter’s names, residence address and date of birth for verification purposes. A phone number will be helpful, if the Clerk’s office needs to contact you for additional information.
The Clerk’s office will also need to know the address that you want the application mailed to.

Once you receive your application for an absentee ballot, you will need to complete the application, sign it and return said application to the County Clerk’s office, for your absentee ballot.
Absentee ballots may not be mailed more than 40 days nor less than 5 days prior to an election.

As a safeguard to absentee voting the following provisions are in effect:
“A candidate whose name is on the ballot is prohibited from assisting a physically disabled absentee voter unless the candidate is the spouse, parent, brother or sister of the voter,” Schultz said.
“Also, no one other than the absentee voter, shall deposit the absentee ballot in the mail,” she added.
An absentee ballot may be delivered “in person” to THE COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE, by either the voter or by a spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of the voter. If the ballot is delivered by any of the aforesaid persons, written authorization from the voter must also be provided. A ballot may also be delivered to the Clerk’s office by an authorized delivery service.

The returned ballot will need to be postmarked prior to Election Day and received by the Clerk’s office within 14 days after the date of the election, to be counted.

A voter, who was issued an absentee ballot, by mail, may surrender his absentee ballot on Election Day, at the polling site and vote in person.


In Person Voting 
You may vote an absentee ballot, in person, at the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Rd, Woodstock, or at one of our other offsite voting locations.

In person, absentee balloting will be conducted not more than 40 days nor less than one day prior to the election.

Early voting is also offered to any McHenry County registered voter, commencing 22 days prior to an election and ending 5 days prior to the election. For further information contact the County Clerk’s office at 815‐334‐4242 or go to

Sally Wiggins Name Remains On November Ballot

   Sally "Oeffling" Wiggins, of Woodstock, will see her name remain on the ballot as an Independent Candidate for the newly appointed Judicial seat for the 22nd Circuit, McHenry County.
   The result of an Objection to her name appearing on the ballot was filed by Sharon Ann Meroni, Barrington Hills, seeking to have Wiggins' name removed from the ballot based on whether there was proof that Wiggins is a United States citizen since there is no requirement for inclusion of a birth certificate to be filed with the nomination papers.
   Subsequent to the objection being filed, Wiggins provided a certified copy of her birth certificate along with her Motion to Dismiss the objection in which she referenced "a boiler plate objection, used by Meroni to file against multiple candidates, with blanks filled in to identify the particular candidates."
   Following considerable discussion on why the objection was filed. Meroni said there is insufficient information for a citizen objector to determine whether the candidate meets the standards. She further noted that she wanted to know that the candidate she was voting for was born in the United States.
   Wiggins explained to the Board hearing the objection, "This is the only opportunity to know that the individual I'm voting for is constitutionally approved."
   Following some discussion, Meroni withdrew the objection.
   County Clerk Katherine Schultz, in response to our question, says, "There is no Illinois law requiring a birth certificate to be filed with nominating petitions."