• This is the second in a series of articles on the Nov. 4 ballot.

By now, you’ve probably seen more than your fair share of television ads for the high-profile Illinois gubernatorial contest, most of which mention the names of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner. It’s important to note that the Nov. 4 ballot also contains the name of a third candidate for governor of Illinois: that of Libertarian candidate Chad Grimm.

And of course, when you are looking at your ballot and deciding which candidate to vote for, keep in mind that you’ll be voting for the full ticket of governor and lieutenant governor. So what you’ll see on the ballot is:

FOR GOVERNOR & LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Vote for (ONE)

• Bruce Rauner / Evelyn Sanguinetti (Republican)
• Pat Quinn / Paul Vallas (Democratic)
• Chad Grimm / Alexander Cummings (Libertarian)

You’ll also have an opportunity to cast a write-in vote, but that’s a topic for another time.

We point out all of these things not only to arm you with answers to local trivia-competition questions but to remind you that there’s more to this Nov. 4 ballot than just the race for governor.

What follows is a quick overview of some of the interesting stuff on the Nov. 4 ballot in Kane County, IL. You can find a full list of candidates and referendums at www.KaneVotes.org, which is the same page as www.kanecountyelections.com. 

First off, there are several federal offices to consider. You’ll be expected to vote for:

• United States senator
• Representative in United States Congress — In Kane County, that includes U.S. congressional districts 6, 8. 11 and 14. (You can find out which congressional district you’re in by looking at your voter registration card or by finding your own personal sample ballot on the Kane County Clerk’s website. You can also find this information on a website called FindYourRepresentative.gov.)

Then there are a boatload of statewide races:

• Governor and lieutenant governor
• Illinois Attorney General
• Illinois Secretary of State
• Comptroller
• Treasurer
• State senator — In Kane County, we have the 33rd and 42nd legislative districts.
• Representative in the General Assembly — Kane County includes portions of the 43rd, 49th, 50th, 52nd, 65th, 66th, 70th, 83rd and 84th districts. (More on that at a later date, too.)

County races include the elected offices of:

• Kane County Clerk
• Kane County Treasurer
• Kane County Sheriff
• Kane County Regional Superintendent of Schools (Technically, this one falls in the category of Educational Service Region.)
• Kane County Board members — The odd-numbered districts are on the Nov. 4, 2014, ballot. They include, obviously, districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23. (Kane County reduced the number of districts in 2011 from 26 to 24.)

Really, if you ask me (and I know you didn’t), the referendum questions make this an extremely interesting election. Here we’ve got two categories to choose from.

One is statewide referendums. By that, I’m including anything that’s going to be voted on by everyone in Illinois. Those consist of:

• A proposed amendment to the 1970 Illinois Constitution (Section 8.1 and Section B.)
• Statewide advisory questions on (a) the minimum wage, (b) women’s health care and (c) a 3 percent tax on income for “rich people.” (The description inside the quotes is mine.)

(Obviously, all of these need more explanation, and you’ll get that if you continue to follow this article series.)

Another category is what I’ll just call “local referendums.” Obviously, whether you vote on one or more of these depends on where you live in Kane County. They include:

• Village of Montgomery — Non-home-rule sales tax
• Village of Sleepy Hollow — Increase the limiting rate
• Batavia Community Unit School District 101 — Issue $15 million general obligation alternate bonds
• Disconnect and Transfer — A petition to disconnect from Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District and transfer to the Fox River & Countryside Fire / Rescue District
• Gail Borden Public Library — Annexation to Gail Borden Public Library

The last two categories are part of the miscellany of this particular election. They are:

• Judicial races (appellate court judges 2nd Judicial District) and circuit court judges (16th Judicial Circuit, 3rd Subcircuit.)
• Wasco Sanitary Sewer District trustees

So that’s the overview. Basically it’s “what’s on the menu.” If I missed anything, please let me know, and I’ll update this article. We’ll also “break it down, as MC Hammer might say, into individual articles on each of these categories in future installments of this series.

Up Next:

How the heck do I find that personalized “sample ballot” you keep talking about?

Election 2014 Series So Far

• Election 2014: Series of Articles on the Nov. 4 Ballot Begins Today

2014 General Election Info

• Candidates List
  Referenda
  Sample Ballots