July 20, 2022
In this Issue: Lake Dems Volunteers Spot “Bad Signatures,” Help Giannoulias ● Lake Dems Booth Returning to County Fair ● Volunteer Spotlight ● In Case You Missed It ● Upcoming Events
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Lake Dems Volunteers Spot “Bad Signatures,” Help Giannoulias
Lake Dems volunteers gather at the Highland Park Democratic Headquarters to scrutinize petitions for a Libertarian candidate named “Jesse White” who wants to run against Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois Secretary of State. The concern is that this other “Jesse” could misleadingly pull Democratic voters away from Alexi and cause a Republican win.
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When Lake Dems got word that Alexi Giannoulias, our Democratic candidate for Illinois Secretary of State, needed our help, our Chair sent out a plea for volunteers. And so many of our volunteers signed up to travel to the South Side of Chicago that his campaign called to thank us, and asked if we thought it was better for our volunteers to have a location in Lake County. We did.
We opened the Highland Park Democratic Headquarters on Saturday and Sunday, July 16-17, from 9 a.m. until after 6 p.m., and dozens of volunteers scrutinized nominating petitions for the Libertarian candidate who filed to run against Alexi. The candidate’s legal name is Jesse White—the same as the popular current (and retiring) Democratic Secretary of State—so if he stays on the ballot, voter confusion about who this candidate is could drain enough votes from Alexi to allow his Republican opponent to win the race.
Eyes glued to computers, our volunteers worked tirelessly to identify “bad signatures.” We found incomplete entries, petition-signers who were not currently registered to vote or who were not registered at the address on the petition, illegible information that could not be verified, and many more issues.
We are hoping we identified enough invalid signatures to ensure that this new “Jesse White” will not appear on the November ballot.
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Circuit Court Clerk Erin Cartwright Weinstein (standing) and Bonnie Berger-Neel staff the Lake County Democrats Booth at the County Fair. Volunteer spots are still available. To sign up, email Bonnie Berger-Neel at bonniebergerneel@yahoo.com.
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Lake Dems Booth Returning to County Fair
After an absence of two years, Lake Dems will once again have a big booth at the Lake County Fair. We’ll be there Wednesday, July 27, to Sunday, July 31, all day every day, sharing our values with fairgoers, selling buttons, and having fun!
If you want to volunteer, email Bonnie Berger-Neel at bonniebergerneel@yahoo.com for a shift or two. Candidates will also be making appearances.
Volunteer Spotlight
Lake Dems is grateful for our many active volunteers, including the following:
John Joanem, an attorney who will be on fall ballots for Circuit Court Judge in some parts of Lake County (19th Circuit, Subcircuit 4), has been a stalwart member of our Democratic Election Protection Team for years—helping ensure that everyone eligible to vote is allowed to vote. He’s usually asked to monitor precincts where problems are likely because he can be counted on to follow through with minimal assistance, if any, thanks to his knowledge and experience. John also regularly volunteers for Expungement Summit events in Waukegan—events that we local Democrats help organize by recruiting volunteer attorneys. These events help people held back by arrest records expunge those records. (Even if there is no conviction, an arrest record can hinder housing and employment opportunities.) John also excels at sharing his knowledge with other volunteer lawyers less experienced in this area of the law. He lives in Wadsworth.
In Case You Missed It
Upcoming Events
Events below are taken from the complete list of Upcoming Events at LakeDems.org/events. To submit your event, click here.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
Fox Lake Fiesta for Treasurer Holly Kim. 6-8pm, Fox Lake. More.
Wauconda Township Democrats July Meeting. 6-7pm, Wauconda. More.
Indivisible Western Lake County (IWLC) July Meeting. 7-8:30pm, Lindenhurst. Speaker: Paul Kendrick from Rust Belt Rising. More.
THURSDAY, JULY 21
Lake County Opioid Initiative Strategic Planning Session. 8am-2pm, Round Lake Beach. More.
Build Up Blue in 2022 with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. 5:30-7:30pm, Chicago. House Democrats’ summer fundraiser. More.
FRIDAY, JULY 22
CANCELED – Sheriff John Idleburg Golf Outing. North Chicago. More.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27
Deputy Voter Registrar Training in Libertyville. 3-4pm. More.
THURSDAY, JULY 28
Rep. Joyce Mason Campaign Kickoff with Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. 5:30-8pm, Gurnee. More.
How Do I Join Lake County Democrats?
Lake County Democrats is made up of people like you, people who are passionate about building better communities and a better world. We’re a grassroots political organization, working with Democrats in all parts of Lake County – from Antioch to Highland Park, Libertyville to Waukegan, Barrington to Zion. Become a member online now or send a check payable to Lake County Democrats to P.O. Box 671, Lake Zurich, IL 60047. Questions? Contact info@lakedems.org.
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