Eighth Congressional Win A Close One

The 8th District Congressional seat will be filled by a Republican for the next two years following the concession by incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Bean in the squeaker race for the seat.

Bean won the seat in 2004, following an election that unseated Republican Philip Crane who was first elected to a seat in the then 13th Congressional District in a 1969 Special Election to fill the seat vacated when Donald Rumsfeld was appointed to a position in the Nixon Administration. Crane was elected over six other candidates at the time.

Crane was elected to a full term in 1970 and re-elected 16 times until his defeat by Democrat Melissa Bean in 2004. Congressional districts are based on population and the area Crane served changed several times over the years from the 13th to the 12th to the 8th. Currently the areas of the 8th District include: Chicago's northwest suburbs of Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, and Palatine. In Lake County, Zion, Gurnee, Mundelein, and Barrington are in the District. Also included in the district is the Cook County portion of Elgin. In McHenry County, McHenry and Woodstock areas are part of the District.

The race was not decided easily and the results were very close, about 300 votes in favor of Walsh.



Commentary On Candidates From Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart, CNN and prominent national leaders of both parties completed the 2010 National Political Courage Test to measure each congressional candidate’s bravado, tenacity and eagerness to avoid public scrutiny.

After being aggressively approached by citizens and national media pressing candidates on crucial issues, a record 64% of the candidates stood their ground in square-jawed, steely-eyed silence. The other 36% ran into the arms of their tormentors, pleading for cover as they told voters what they actually thought.

The Courage Test has been conducted each election year since 1992, when an overwhelming number of candidates, weak with freedom’s sentimentality, imprudently surrendered their positions on issue after issue at the request of voters and test sponsors.

This year (after clobbering each candidate with questions on jobs, foreign policy, the economy, education, the environment, immigration, and other issues confronted by the nation) Courage Test organizers demonstrated that this crop of candidates set a new standard for the kind of toughness and duplicity that moves the nation forward at its current levels of civility, reason and responsibility.

A half century ago, no candidate was courageous enough or cunning enough to avoid answering questions on major issues when confronted by citizens and major media. Then candidates simply lacked the strength of character necessary to turn away when confronted by principle.

Today candidates of both major parties march in lock step behind their armies of consultants paving the road to election victory.  It isn’t just this dashing crop of candidates that are showing their pluck, it is the major parties too: both parties have organized their battalions so successfully that they can easily overwhelm citizens and media with nothing more than a bucket full of poppycock, saving their most potent weapons in a selfless effort to campaign on behalf of their opponents--clearly delineating their opposite positions on everything from issues to their personal habits.

With each election candidates lower the bar and now we find ourselves all fighting in the dirt. This successful domination of citizens is a remarkable achievement, particularly when the remedy of abundant, accurate, relevant information is well within their grasp. For test results and the facts on the candidates you will vote on: www.votesmart.org

Richard Kimball

Project Vote Smart President

Candidates To Share Views With Voters Monday Evening

Candidates for the McHenry County Sheriff and County Clerk will have the opportunity to share their views with the voters 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

Reminder About Voting

If you will be unavailable to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 2, or you just want to get the duty out of the way, you can vote in the "Early Voting" program. It's the same as going to your designated polling place on Election Day. The ballots are not counted until all the ballots are gathered after the polls close on November 2. Voters may vote at any one of the following locations. Residency location does not make a difference. On Election Day, voters must vote in the precinct of their residency.

Locations for Early Voting:

McHenry County Administration Building

667 Ware Road,

Woodstock

Now until Thursday October 28.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 27

8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Saturday October 23

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday October 24

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Algonquin Township Offices

3702 US Highway 14, Clerk's Office

Crystal Lake, IL

Now until Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

City of Crystal Lake

Municipal Complex

100 W. Woodstock Street-

Crystal Lake

Now until Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 24

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Grafton Township

Huntley Park District

12015 Mill Street

Huntley

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Village of Lake in the Hills

Lake in the Hills Village Hall

800 Harvest Gate, Executive Conference Room

(Enter thru Board Room)

Lake in the Hills, IL

Now thru Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 24

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

City of McHenry

McHenry City Hall

333 S. Green Street, Court Entrance Only.

McHenry

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday through Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday October 23

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday October 24,

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

McHenry Township Offices

3703 N. Richmond Road

McHenry, IL

Now through Thursday October 28

Monday through Friday

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

No Saturday hours

Nunda Township Offices

3510 Bay Road, Annex

Crystal Lake, IL

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday through Friday

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

No Saturday hours.

Harvard Area

Dunham Township Office

107 Airport Road

Harvard, IL

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday through Friday

9:00 am to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Marengo Area

Marengo City Hall

132 E. Prairie St., Upper Chambers

Marengo, IL

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The law prohibits voters from casting a ballot in early voting and then appearing at polling place to cast another ballot.

Reminder About Voting

If you will be unavailable to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 2, or you just want to get the duty out of the way, you can vote in the "Early Voting" program. It's the same as going to your designated polling place on Election Day. The ballots are not counted until all the ballots are gathered after the polls close on November 2. Voters may vote at any one of the following locations. Residency location does not make a difference. On Election Day, voters must vote in the precinct of their residency.

Locations for Early Voting:

McHenry County Administration Building

667 Ware Road,

Woodstock

Now until Thursday October 28.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 20 and 27

8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 16

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 17

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Saturday October 23

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday October 24

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Algonquin Township Offices

3702 US Highway 14, Clerk's Office

Crystal Lake, IL

Now until Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

City of Crystal Lake

Municipal Complex

100 W. Woodstock Street-

Crystal Lake

Now until Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 24

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Grafton Township

Huntley Park District

12015 Mill Street

Huntley

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Village of Lake in the Hills

Lake in the Hills Village Hall

800 Harvest Gate, Executive Conference Room

(Enter thru Board Room)

Lake in the Hills, IL

Now thru Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 24

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

City of McHenry

McHenry City Hall

333 S. Green Street, Court Entrance Only.

McHenry

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday through Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday October 23

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday October 24,

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

McHenry Township Offices

3703 N. Richmond Road

McHenry, IL

Now through Thursday October 28

Monday through Friday

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

No Saturday hours

Nunda Township Offices

3510 Bay Road, Annex

Crystal Lake, IL

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday through Friday

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

No Saturday hours.

Harvard Area

Dunham Township Office

107 Airport Road

Harvard, IL

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday through Friday

9:00 am to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Marengo Area

Marengo City Hall

132 E. Prairie St., Upper Chambers

Marengo, IL

Now through Thursday, October 28

Monday thru Friday

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 23

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The law prohibits voters from casting a ballot in early voting and then appearing at polling place to cast another ballot.

Something To Consider For Upcoming Election

With midterm elections drawing closer every day, candidates who best harness the Internet might have an advantage, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Communications who have confirmed and quantified the impact of of the social media during the 2008 election cycle.

The research team confirmed popular press reports that President Barack Obama used the Internet better than John McCain in 2008. They analyzed 278 user-generated Facebook groups that illustrated the success of the Obama campaign in eliciting positive online support from social network users.

Results of the research by graduate students Julia Woolley and Anthony Limperos, along with Distinguished Professor Mary Beth Oliver, will be published in the November issue of Mass Communication and Society.

According to the research, groups that focused on Barack Obama were more actively used, had higher group membership and were more positive than groups featuring John McCain. The average Obama group had more than 10,000 members, while the average McCain group had less than 1,400. Overall, across all groups, Obama was portrayed more positively than McCain.

In addition, the use of race-related, age-related and profane language differed between candidates, but the general prevalence of these types of variables were low across groups. Race-related language was more prevalent in groups focused on Obama, whereas both negative age-related language and profanity were more prevalent in groups featuring McCain. For example, while only 40 of the 278 groups contained any kind of racial reference, nearly 85 percent were in reference to Obama.

“Overall, these findings might not be surprising -- given that Facebook is pretty much dominated by young people, and younger people tended to support Obama,” Woolley said. “However, it does kind of give you pause, in considering the implications for the potential role social media might have in encouraging debate and dialogue between people with different political allegiances.”

“The take-home message really suggests the importance of social media in mobilizing political support,” Limperos said. “Although we can’t really be sure whether it had that effect, given that we were looking only at the content, the data do seem to suggest their importance, particularly as Facebook membership continues to grow.”

Woolley and Limperos regularly conduct research in the Media Effects Laboratory, housed in the College of Communications. Oliver serves as co-director of the lab.

Illinois Libertarians Score One Victory

It's time to celebrate, but not for long. There are only 2 months left until the election, but llinois Libertarians are celebrating one victory--
The Illinois State Board of Elections certified, by unanimous vote, the state-wide Libertarian candidates for the ballot in the November election.


The candidates are:
Governor – Lex Green
Lt. Governor – Ed Rutledge
Attorney General – Bill Malan
Comptroller – Julie Fox
Secretary of State – Josh Hanson
Treasurer – James Pauly
US Senate – Mike Labno