VOTING

Voting  Voting is a constitutional right.  It is important for citizens to remain informed about important issues and candidates  You can access information now more easily than ever before in our history. If you use twitter or instagram, or facebook, you can have news organizations feed you information through them! Use it!

Different types of elections  Primaries  General elections  Miscellaneous elections

Primaries  Held before general elections  Parties choose which candidate they will run  The winners of the primaries face each other in the general election.  Ex.

General Election  Most popular elections in Illinois  “Biennial” – They are held every two years in even numbered years  Presidential election is every other General Election in Illinois

2012 Presidential and General Election  Obama won 57% of the popular vote and won Illinois’ 20 electoral votes  The general election included election for…  All 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives  All 118 members of the Illinois House of Representatives  All 59 members of the Illinois Senate  A number of other state and local officials  Next General Election: November 4, 2014

Absentee Ballots & Early Voting  If you are not going to be around to vote on election day, you can apply for an absentee ballot.  You may also request a ballot if you are too sick to go to vote.  If you are unable to make it to the voting booth on election day you can also go to vote early from the 22nd through the 5 th day preceding an election without having to supply an excuse or reason.

Voting Requirements  Must be 18 on or before election day  Must have lived in the election district for at least 30 days  Must be a citizen  Must register with the local election district at least 28 days before the election.

Two-Party System  We call our system a two-party system because most elections are won by a candidate for either the Democratic or Republican Party  There are third party candidates who have won before and they often run.

Municipal Government  Municipality – a city, village or town  Created so that citizens living in the area can provide…  protection (police and fire)  recreational or cultural centers (think recreation rooms/leisure centers or museums)  Water and sewer systems  Streets/Traffic  Other egulations

Municipal Governments  There are more municipalities in Illinois than in ANY OTHER state (1,280 places are incorporated as cities, towns, and villages).  Every municipality other than Chicago organizes their government with one of the following formats: (Don’t worry about writing all of these down)  Mayor and Council  Trustee Village  Strong Mayor  Commission  Council-Manager

Mayor and Council Form

Local Governments  Illinois has more than any other state, 6,600 local governments.  Special-Purpose Districts  Big Example: Public School Districts  Other Examples: (Don’t write all of these down)  Forest Preserve  Transit Authority  Library District  Mosquito Abatement District  Park District  Soil Conservation District

Local Governments  County  102 in Illinois  Enforce laws  Prosecute Offenders (County Jail?)  Build and Maintain Roads  Keep Records  Conduct Elections  Collect Taxes  Etc.

Township  The counties are divided into townships  They have elected leaders  Three main functions of townships:  Construction and maintenance of rural roads and bridges.  General assistance to the needy.  Assessment of property. There are also miscellaneous functions, such as voter registration, cemeteries, and mental health facilities.

City of Chicago  City Government is divided into Executive, Legislative and Judicial (Judicial is part of the state court system).  Chicago has 50 wards. Each ward has an alderman or alderwoman.  Chicago has the Mayor and Council form of government  The mayor is elected to a four year term.  Our Mayor is Rahm Emmanuel, former White House Chief of Staff of Barack Obama.

City of Chicago  City Council  50 Alderman or Alderwomen  Elected for Four Years.  City Council is the legislative Body

Financing State and Local Government in Illinois  Over $1 Trillion is spent by the state and local governments each year.  Taxes: Sales tax, Income Tax and Property Tax

Budget