April 19, 2023
In this Issue: And The Votes Are In ● 2023 Consolidated Election by the Numbers ● Thanks to our Candidates Who Didn’t Give Up ● Donkey Pins (and Flowers) for Mother’s Day ● You’re Invited: Jan Schakowsky’s 2023 Annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch ● Summer Internships ● Moraine Township Democrats Meet, Greet, Eat, and Talk Politics ● Congressman Brad Schneider Hosts Town Hall in Vernon Hills ● Order Your Lake Dems T-Shirt ● Volunteer Spotlight ● ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) ● Upcoming Events
.
And The Votes Are In
Elections can’t be officially decided until the last vote is counted. Here in Illinois, valid votes received by 5pm on the fourteenth day following Election Day must be counted. That is, mailed ballots postmarked on or before 7pm on Election Day and received by that deadline are counted.
Also, voters who cast provisional ballots, or whose mail-in ballots were “challenged” because of a missing signature or a signature deemed not to match those in the voter’s file, have the opportunity to “cure” their ballots up until that same deadline.
For this year’s local elections, the deadline for curing rejected provisional and mail-in ballots was Tuesday, April 18.
As we’ve reported since the first unofficial results came in, numerous Democratic candidates for school boards and library boards did well across Lake County, defeating well-funded extreme right-wingers. There were also a handful of very close races whose results could have changed before the April 18 deadline.
To make sure that every possible Democratic-leaning vote would be counted, Lake Dems volunteers vetted the Lake County Clerk’s lists of provisional and mail-in voters whose ballots would not be counted unless cured. Then additional volunteers telephoned these voters to answer any questions and explain what they needed to do to cure their ballots.
As an example of how important this process was, in one race in Lake County results on Election Night showed the right-wing candidate winning a spot on a board. But when final results were announced Tuesday night, the right-winger lost. That’s the power of making sure every vote counts.
.
Voting by Mail is Now Even Easier
According to the Lake County Clerk’s Office, a total of 63,592 ballots were cast in the April 4 election. And approximately 39% of those votes were Vote-By-Mail ballots. Vote-By-Mail ballots are an easy way to make sure your vote is heard.
Did you know that Illinois now has a Permanent Vote-by-Mail program? Voters can complete a one-time application to become enrolled and receive a ballot by mail for all subsequent elections. You can sign up here and never miss an election again. Whenever you request and receive a Vote-By-Mail ballot, you always have the option of returning that ballot to an Election Judge and voting in person at the polls.
For complete election results click here.
.
Thanks to our Candidates Who Didn’t Give Up
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Case in point: several of our Democratic candidates dusted themselves off from previous election losses and went on to win in subsequent races.
In recent years, some of our candidates ran and lost, many in Republican strongholds across the county. Out they went; knocking on doors, making phone calls, distributing literature, and showing up at events where people might listen to what they had to say. Though some weren’t successful that time, in our eyes they were still winners. Many gave their opponents quite a shock when votes were counted and those opponents realized their races were much closer than expected.
These trailblazers not only softened the ground for others to follow in their footsteps, they dusted themselves off, learned from their successes and failures, and ran again for elected office. Here are a few examples:
- Shout-out to Allena Barbato, who ran a great race for State Senate in 2022, though she lost. She gave it another go in April and won a seat on the College of Lake County Board of Trustees, defeating an extreme right-winger who many thought was a shoo-in
- Congrats to Alicia Timm, a Democratic Precinct Committeeperson in Ela Township, who lost her Lake County Board race and came back to win a seat on the Ela Area Library Board.
- Kudos to Farah Laman, Lake Dems Recording Secretary and a Democratic Precinct Committeeperson in Ela Township, who never gave up on her goal to become a Trustee in Hawthorn Woods, tried again, and won election to this position this month.
- Bravo to Yumi Ross, a Democratic Precinct Committeeperson in Moraine Township who ran for Highland Park City Council, wasn’t successful, and went on to win a City Council seat this time.
- Hats off to Grant Township Democratic Chair Joe Bongiovanni, who ran unsuccessfully for Fox Lake Trustee and turned that into his recent win for a seat on the Fox Lake Elementary School Board.
Congratulations to all of our candidates, whether they won or lost, for putting themselves forward. We are grateful.
.
Donkey Pins (and Flowers) for Mother’s Day
Lake Dems continues the year-round fight for wins against right-wingers, and we need your support. You can help by purchasing one (or more) of our Democratic donkey pins.
These sparkly silver-tone and rhinestone donkeys make great gifts for birthdays, Mother’s Day, or any day for that special person in your life — or for you!
Don’t just give flowers…order your pins today. Available for a $20 donation (additional donations always welcome), pick-up available or we mail for a small fee.
Click here and order your Rhinestone Donkey Pin today!
.
You’re Invited: Jan Schakowsky’s 2023 Annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch
Personal Invitation from Lauren Beth Gash, Lake Dems Chair
Jan’s 2023 Annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch, always an amazing event, will be held on Friday, May 5, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Hotel at noon. Join us!
Jan was my seatmate in the state legislature many years ago. I just love her and was so honored to be one of the two co-chairs of her wildly successful (and sold-out) 3,000-person Annual Power Lunch featuring Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi right before Covid.
Attendees will hear from Congresswoman and Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass, who was recently elected as the first Black American woman Mayor of Los Angeles. We’ll also get to hear from Congresswoman Katherine Clark, the Democratic Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives. And there may be others.
Join Lake Dems, Tenth Dems and me at our tables for this inspiring event! Click here to join us, and be sure to put Lake Dems, Tenth Dems, or Lauren Beth Gash in the invited by field when you register.
—Lauren
.
Summer Internships
The number of intern candidates who have expressed an interest in this program is impressive. And applications are still being accepted!
To apply, please submit a brief paragraph explaining why you would like to be a Tenth Dems intern, along with a resume summarizing your educational background and activities. Neither needs to be formal. To learn more click here, or submit your application via email to info@tenthdems.org with “internship” in the Subject line.
.
Moraine Township Democrats Meet, Greet, Eat, and Talk Politics
Moraine Township Democrats who gathered at Michael’s Grill and Salad Bar listened intently as Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega spoke about elections..
.
Congressman Brad Schneider Hosts Town Hall in Vernon Hills
It was a great day for a town hall in Vernon Hills. Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) answered questions from the enthusiastic crowd.
.
Order Your Lake Dems T-Shirt
It’s time to order your Lake Dems T-Shirt! Shirts are $9 each (our cost) but additional contributions are always welcome.
To order, click here. And let’s keep going strong! It’s more important now than ever.
.
.
A Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day – Or Any Day
These sparkly silver-tone and rhinestone donkeys make great gifts for that special person in your life — or for you!
Available for a $20 donation (additional donations always welcome), there will be pick-up available at various locations in Lake County. We can also mail them to you if you add $5 for shipping and handling.
Click here and order your Rhinestone Donkey Pin today!
.
Volunteer Spotlight
Lake Dems is grateful for our many active volunteers. Click here if you’re interested in helping.
This week we highlight Lake Dems Treasurer Dan Matzkin, an Ela Township Precinct Committeeperson who keeps our records takes care of our required quarterly financial filings with the State Board of Elections. We are grateful to Dan, a Certified Public Account (CPA), for his work year-round, but especially in April when he is also very busy preparing taxes for his clients.
.
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
Fox News Reaches $787 Million Settlement in Dominion Defamation Suit
Spurred by Highland Park, Other Mass Shootings, Marchers Press Congress for Assault Weapons Ban
.
Upcoming Events
WEDNESDAY, Apr. 19
Indivisible Western Lake County (IWLC) April Meeting with Eric Rinehart. 7-8:30pm, Lindenhurst. More.
SATURDAY, Apr. 22
Free Document Shred Day. 10am-1pm, North Chicago. More.
SUNDAY, Apr. 23
Back to Business (B2B) Grant Seminar. 10am-12pm, Waukegan. More.
Indivisible of Western Lake County (IWLC) Trivia Event Fundraiser. 1:30-4pm, Lindenhurst. More.
Schneider for Congress April Coffee Club in Vernon Hills. 6-7pm, Vernon Hills. More.
MONDAY, Apr. 24
Lunch with Senator Dick Durbin. 11:45am, Chicago. More.
WEDNESDAY, Apr. 26
Victims’ Rights Film Showing, “The Amendment.” 3-6pm, Waukegan. More.
For the complete list of Upcoming Events, go to lakedems.org/events.
Click here to submit your event for consideration.
.
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, (individual: $35/couples $60 – though more is always appreciated), or send a check payable to Lake County Democrats to P.O. Box 671, Lake Zurich, IL 60047. Questions? Contact info@lakedems.org.
.
