The League of Women Voters of the Aurora Area and Central Kane County will be co-host to a hybrid forum Thursday, Feb. 22, for the 2024 General Primary candidates in the Illinois State representative in the 83rd District and U.S. Congress in the 11th District.
The forum will be held at 7 p.m. in person at Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Avenue, Batavia. It will be live-streamed and available for later viewing on the BATV YouTube Channel. Following the event, a recording of the forum will be posted to the websites of the League of Women Voters Aurora Area (https://my.lwv.org/illinois/aurora-area), the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County (https://my.lwv.org/illinois/central-kane-county),andthe IL Voter Guide (https://illinoisvoterguide.org/).
The Forum will be divided into three segments, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. During the respective segments, each candidate will be permitted one minute for an opening statement. Following opening statements, each candidate will have an opportunity to respond to questions submitted in advance or asked by the viewing audience. Audience questions will be pre-screened by a team of League members for appropriateness prior to asking. The candidates each will be permitted up to one minute for each response. At the end of each segment, the candidates again will each be permitted one minute for a closing statement.
According to Patti Lackman, Voter Service chair person of the LWV of Central Kane County, “The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization whose dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to promote democracy and citizen engagement in civic life. The League never sponsors or endorses candidates. Our organization has a long history of conducting candidate forums and is widely considered to be one of the most capable non-partisan organizations in this regard. We are excited to hear from the candidates and provide them with this opportunity to share their views with voters in their districts.”
Invitations to participate in the forum were extended to each of the candidates who will appear on the General Primary ballot. Matt Hanson and Arad Boxenbaum are competing for the Democratic Party nomination for Illinois House District 83. In the 11th Congressional District, Bill Foster and Qasim Rashid are competing for the Democratic Party nomination, while Jerry Evans, O Kent Mercado, and Susan Hathaway-Altman are competing for the Republican Party nomination.
Here are some important dates to know for the upcoming March 19, General Primary Election:
- February 8 – March 18: Early voting at Kane County Elections office and Aurora satellite.
- March 4 – March 18: Early voting at all Kane County early voting polling locations.
- February 20: Last day to register to vote.
- February 21 – March 18: Grace period registration and voting at Kane County Elections office and Aurora Satellite.
• March 19: Election Day! Polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m..
Nonpartisan information about voting in Illinois can be found at https://illinoisvoterguide.org/. Anyone wishing to find out more about this candidate forum or any other event hosted by the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County may obtain more information by emailing info@lwvckc.org.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
— League of Women Voters of Central Kane County