Be A Voter – 2020 Election Guide
A Nonpartisan Resource for the March 17, 2020 General Primary Election
Important Dates | Candidates | Government Sites | Campaign Finance | News Election Coverage | Debates | Fact Checking | General Resources | Political Parties
Primary Election: the process by which voters can indicate their preference for a candidate in an upcoming general election and narrows the field of candidates for various elected offices at the Federal, State, and Local levels of government. In Illinois voters must declare their party affiliation at the time of voting and will receive one political party’s ballot.
REGISTER TO VOTE
- Madison County Voter Registration Information
- In person including at either location of the Six Mile Regional Library District
- Online
- By Mail – Mail-In Voter Registration Form – download PDF Form to complete online and print.
- Automatic Voter Registration – Automatic Voter Registration, commonly known as “AVR,” is a bipartisan initiative and establishes electronic voter registration at multiple Illinois state agencies, including at Secretary of State Driver’s Services facilities.
- Restoration of Voting Rights after a felony conviction.
- Same Day Voter Registration at Early Voting Sites
IMPORTANT DATES
| February 18 | Close of Voter Registration | Add to Calendar |
| February 19 | Grace period registration and grace period voting begins. | Add to Calendar |
| March 1 | Last day to register to vote online. | Add to Calendar |
| March 16 | Last day for early voting at Madison County Clerk's Office and designated temporary locations. | Add to Calendar |
| March 17 | General Primary Election | Add to Calendar |
CANDIDATES
List of candidates has been compiled to the best of our ability. If a candidate‘s name or official site is not listed, please contact our administrative assistant to request a candidate be added upon review.
* Indicates incumbent candidate
| DEMOCRATIC PARTY | |
| Joe Biden | Campaign Website |
| Tulsi Gabbard | Campaign Website |
| Bernie Sanders | Campaign Website |
| REPUBLICAN PARTY | |
| Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente | Campaign Website |
| Donald J. Trump* | Campaign Website |
| US SENATOR - DEMOCRATIC PARTY | |
| Richard J. Durbin* | Campaign Website |
| US SENATOR - REPUBLICAN PARTY | |
| Casey Chlebek | Campaign Website |
| Mark C. Curran Jr. | Campaign Website |
| Peggy Hubbard | Campaign Website |
| Robert Marshall | Campaign Website |
| Tom Tarter | Campaign Website |
| IL 12th DISTRICT - DEMOCRATIC PARTY | |
| Joel D. Funk | Campaign Website |
| Raymond C. Lenzi | Campaign Website |
| IL 12th DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN PARTY | |
| Mike Bost* | Campaign Website |
| IL 13th DISTRICT - DEMOCRATIC PARTY | |
| Betsy Londrigan | Campaign Website |
| Stefanie Smith | Campaign Website |
| IL 13th DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN PARTY | |
| Rodney Davis* | Campaign Website |
GOVERNMENT SITES
Office of Madison County Clerk – The official website of the Madison County Clerk; with answers to questions like “Who can register to vote?” and “Where do I vote?”.
Madison County Election Calendar – List of important election dates.
Madison County Voter Information Search – View a copy of your ballot, list of districts, polling place, and a copy of your voter registration card by providing some basic information (i.e. name, date of birth, etc.).
Madison County Voter Information – A helpful FAQ for Madison County voters.
Illinois State Board of Elections – A quick and easy way to find candidate filings, general election information, and to verify if you are registered to vote in Illinois.
Federal Voting Assistance Program – Federal voting assistance for service members, their families, and overseas citizens. Provides access to election officials and voting assistance officers to help navigate the absentee voting process.
Presidential Election Process – Learn about the Presidential election process, including the Electoral College, caucuses and primaries, and the national conventions. The Federal Government has developed a glossary of common terms used during election seasons. Perfect for new voters.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE DISCLOSURES
Federal Election Commission – Official United States Government website that tracks campaign finance and donations.
Illinois Sunshine – a tool for browsing political contributions in the state of Illinois
NEWS COVERAGE OF ELECTION
Chicago Sun-Times – Political coverage of Chicago and Illinois elections including the 2020 presidential election.
Chicago Tribune – Includes a 2020 election voter guide, news, opinion, fact checking, and details on how to vote in Illinois.
New York Times 20 (More) Questions – New York Times asked 6 Democratic Presidential Candidates the same twenty questions. A quick way to get to know some of the candidates.
New York Times: Who’s Running for President 2020? – An up to the date accounting of who’s in and who’s out of the 2020 Presidential race including brief biographies of each candidate. An excellent source to quickly get up to speed on every presidential candidate.
PRIMARY DEBATE SCHEDULE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
February 25
Sponsors: CBS News, The Black Democratic Caucus Institute, and Twitter – Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina
Watch: CBS
REPUBLICAN PARTY
FACT CHECKING
Annenberg Political Fact Check – Designed to help voters by “monitoring the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.” Updated even when it is not election season. Includes information on special interest groups behind television ads.
Center for Public Integrity – A well documented investigative journalism organization and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 & 2017.
Newsguard -Browser extension that provides an easy way to evaluate websites. “Green-Red ratings compiled by a team of trained journalists signal if a website is trying to get it right, has a hidden agenda, or knowingly publishes falsehoods or propaganda.”
FactStream – An iOS app developed by the Reporter Lab at Duke University. App Summary: “FactStream helps you find the truth in American politics by bringing together the work of the three largest U.S. fact-checking organizations – the Washington Post, PolitiFact, and FactCheck.org. During major events such as speeches and debates, you can follow along as our partners fact-check in real time.”
Politifact – A fact-checking website founded by editors of Time Magazine and in conjunction with Congressional Quarterly.
GENERAL RESOURCES
BestColleges.com Student Voting Guide – Nonpartisan guide designed for college students. Includes a bipartisan key issues guide and voter registration information for each state.
ProCon.org – Pros and Cons of Current Issues – Feeling overwhelmed because you don’t quite understand all the issues being debated during the 2020 Presidential Election? Start here! ProCon.org is a nonprofit nonpartisan public charity that use professional researchers and rigorous editorial standards.
Project Vote Smart – A non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office.
TurboVote – A tool that makes voting easy by sending text or email messages verifying voter registration status, reminders about important election deadlines, and polling place location. Developed by the nonpartisan group Democracy Works.
POLITICAL PARTIES
DEMOCRATIC PARTY – National | Illinois | Madison County
GREEN PARTY – National | Illinois | Madison County
LIBERTARIAN PARTY – National | Illinois | Madison County
REPUBLICAN PARTY – National | Illinois | Madison County
This page is compiled and maintained by librarians at the Six Mile Regional Library District. Links to political parties and/or campaign websites are for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute an endorsement.
Icons designed by Freepik from Flaticon. Be a Voter logo designed by Cook Memorial Public Library District, used with permission.
Last updated February 11, 2020