Photo Credit: Dean Wampler, Flickr
Today, Cook County voters have several critical races to consider beyond the Presidential election between Kamala D. Harris and Donald J. Trump. Luckily, Illinoisians who are not registered to vote can still register and vote in today’s general election (see here for more info on “Grace Period Registration”)
Here’s a quick guide to critical local races in Cook County that could shape the future of criminal justice and consequential education matters:
Cook County State’s Attorney
- Eileen O’Neill Burke (Democrat) – Ballot #54
- Robert W. Fioretti (Republican) – Ballot #55
- Andrew Charles Kopinski (Libertarian) – Ballot #56
This election will determine the State’s Attorney for a four-year term. Candidates will bring diverse perspectives on issues such as criminal justice reform, community safety, and prosecutorial priorities.
Chicago Public Schools School Board Elections
The school board elections in various districts will impact decisions around school policies, funding, and educational initiatives. Here are the candidates running in each district:
- District 1 (Far Northwest Side): Jennifer Custer (Nonpartisan), Michelle Pierre (Nonpartisan)
- District 2 (North Side): Margaret Cullerton Hooper, Ebony DeBerry, Kate Doyle, Bruce Leon (all Nonpartisan)
- District 3 (Near Northwest Side): Jason Dones, Carlos Rivas Jr. (both Nonpartisan)
- District 4 (North Side): Kimberly Brown, Andrew Davis, Thomas Day, Carmen Gioiosa, Ellen Rosenfeld, Karen Zaccor (all Nonpartisan)
- District 5 (West Side): Michilla Blaise (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew), Aaron Brown, Kernetha Jones (Write-in), Jousef Shkoukani (Write-in) (all Nonpartisan)
- District 6 (South Side, The Loop): Jessica Biggs, Andre Smith, Anusha Thotakura, Danielle Wallace (Write-in) (all Nonpartisan)
- District 7 (Southwest Side): Raquel Don, Yesenia Lopez, Eva Villalobos (all Nonpartisan)
- District 8 (South and Southwest Side): Angel Gutierrez, Felix Ponce (both Nonpartisan)
- District 9 (South Side and Southeast Side): Therese Boyle, Miquel Lewis, Lanetta Thomas, La’Mont Raymond Williams (all Nonpartisan)
- District 10 (South Side): Robert Jones, Karin Norington-Reaves, Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Che Smith, Rosita Chatonda (Write-in) (all Nonpartisan)
These candidates will address pressing concerns in education, such as curriculum development, resource allocation, and school safety, and each district’s representatives will play a vital role in shaping Chicago’s educational landscape. For detailed breakdowns of each school board candidate, visit this link.
Visit this link for more information on voting and to check your local polling place in Chicago. For Cook County polling locations, see this link.