MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR – November 2018
By Kim Savage
This election proved the point that “every vote counts!” It also showed that when Democrats vote, Democrats win! Everyone in our township and in DuPage County is now represented by a Democrat in the U.S. Congress and on the DuPage County Board. We also have a full complement of Democratic Constitutional Officers in the state. Congratulations to our newly elected officials and a huge thanks to all of the volunteers who registered voters, knocked on doors, stuffed bags, and made phone calls to turn out voters to the polls. Since we want this trend to continue, here are a few lessons from this election to focus on.
Every Vote Counts
The vote count from Election Day to the end of the period for processing mail-in and provisional ballots made a significant difference in the outcomes for Democrats. Two DuPage Democratic candidates who trailed on Election Night were victorious. Dan Hebreard, Forest Preserve District President-elect, and Laura Ellman, State Senator-elect, came from behind to win their seats. Other winning candidates ended up increasing the margin of their wins, or narrowing the margin of their losses. This was due in large part to a dedicated group of volunteers from across DuPage County who contacted voters to make sure their rejected mail-in ballots or provisional ballots counted. There were an unusually high number of provisional ballots cast, as well as a large number of mail-in ballots that were missing signatures on the envelopes.
Vote by Mail is Essential to Democratic Wins
As mail-in ballots continued to arrive at the Election Commission and were counted, they generally favored Democrats by a 2-1 margin. However, it is clear that voters need to be more fully educated on the procedure for submitting their ballots to ensure that they count. Many ballots were rejected because the voters failed to sign the affidavit section on the envelope.
Always Check Your Voter Registration Status Before Election Day
Some people arrived at their polling place on Election Day only to find that their registration status was inactive. This even happened to regular voters who had cast ballots in the recent Primary Election.
Always Check Your Polling Location
Often voters arrived at their polling place on Election Day only to find out that it had moved. While there may have been a polling place at the location, precinct boundary changes may have relocated your polling place.
When Democrats Vote, Democrats Win
In general, Democrats sit out mid-term elections. In DuPage County, they also sit out Primary Elections and vote sporadically in other elections because they believe their votes don’t count. Due to the massive grassroots efforts to contact voters and push them to the polls, Democrats won. It doesn’t happen by magic. It takes a lot of hard work and we need everyone to do what they can to get voters out. Please remember that in the upcoming Consolidated Elections in 2019 and also as we work toward 2020.
Thank you for voting and thank you for volunteering.