New Lenox Elections: End of Voting Nears; Check Patch for Results

Welcome to the New Lenox Patch 2011 Election Log, our main hub for all things election. For more information on individual candidates and races, see our .

Bookmark the link, check in and offer comments. If you know of any election news, want to submit an endorsement or have any questions or suggestions, e-mail michael.sewall@patch.com.

April 5, 6:30 p.m.

Remember to check our after 7 p.m. We'll update it with results as soon as they begin to be posted on the county clerk's website. We will also update the blog with any more info as it comes.

April 5, 6 p.m.

I made some final stops at polling places I went to earlier this morning to try and get a comparison. Long story short? Not much changed, and turnout hovers at about 10-15 percent throughout New Lenox.

As of 5 p.m. at Village Hall, there were 150 ballots cast, up from 46 at 10 in the morning. That was one of the higher marks from precincts I visited, at about 17 percent of the registered voters hitting the polls.

Lincoln-Way Central, which has three precincts, had a combined 215 people at quarter to 6, just an hour before polls closed. That's right at about 10 percent for the day. The precinct at the Fire Protection District Station No. 1 had only 38 voters from a possible 550.

Patch readers helped us get the pulse of the village as they went to vote. They reported where they voted and which number they were as of a certain time. Here's what they said:

Lincoln-Way Central: A voter said she was No. 10 as of 8 a.m.

Martino Junior High: One voter said she was No. 37 as of 11:30 a.m. Another said she was No. 89 as of 4:30 p.m. There are two precincts at Martino.

Nelson Ridge: This school has three precincts, and one voter said she was No. 134 when she went to the polls at about 4 p.m.

Peace Lutheran Church: A voter said she was No. 33 at about 5 p.m.

April 5, 3:40 p.m.

Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said there haven't been any reports of problems at polling places in Frankfort, Mokena or New Lenox today.

"Everyone's behaving," she said.

The State Attorney's Office sent two-person teams to polling places throughout Will County today to check in and report any issues, but Voots said there weren't many.

She mentioned that there was a case of passing out campaign literature too close to a polling place in Joliet, but that the Lincoln-Way suburbs have "been very quiet."

Indeed, the voter turnout has been low today. Voots predicted a 20 percent turnout today, but many election judges in New Lenox doubted their precincts would come close to even approaching that level.

In the 2009 consolidated election, voter turnout across Will County was at 18 percent.

If you do encounter any issues when you vote, the Election Fraud Hotline number is (815) 727-8872.

April 5, 1:30 p.m.

Scene: Patch Editor Michael Sewall walks into Nelson Ridge, where three precincts are located for the local election today.

Michael Sewall: "How's voter turnout so far today?"

Election judges: ... (laughing)

It's been a slow day at the polls so far, with perhaps historically low voter turnout. Some election judges around New Lenox have estimated that it could be as low as 10 percent by the time polls close at 7 p.m.

At 9:30 a.m., Lincoln-Way Central's three precincts combined for 65 ballots cast. At 10:15 a.m., Village Hall's precinct also showed low numbers, with only 46 ballots cast. There are about 900 voters registered for the Village Hall precinct.

At 11:15 a.m., Nelson Ridge had about 110 total ballots cast among its three precincts. But that's for at least 2,200 possible voters registered at one of those locations. Election judges said they would be lucky to see a 10 percent voter turnout by the end of the day.

Help us keep a pulse on voter turnout in New Lenox by commenting below. After you vote, let us know which precinct you were at and what number showed when your ballot was scanned.

April 5, 9:20 a.m.

Based on a couple polling locations, voter turnout is pretty low so far. I went by Martino Junior High, which has two precincts, and there were only about 20 voters as of 7:30 a.m. A reader just let us know that she was voter No. 10 at Lincoln-Way Central about an hour ago.

How are the numbers at your locations? After you vote, remember which number you were and tell us in the comments.

April 4, 11 p.m.

Make sure to check back here throughout the day for updates and news on the local elections. Later at night, you can also see live results updated by .

April 4, 4 p.m.

Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow is urging citizens to report election irregularities on April 5 to his Election Fraud Hotline.
 
Citizens are encouraged to report inappropriate activity, such as passing out campaign literature or other acts of electioneering either inside or too close to polling places.

Glasgow has assigned his attorneys to two-person teams – each consisting of an assistant state’s attorney and a Will County Sheriff’s deputy – to travel throughout Will County to visit polling places all day on Election Day.
 
The Election Fraud Hotline number is (815) 727-8872.

April 4, 3 p.m.

Maureen Broderick, an incumbent candidate in the School District 122 election, has filed complaints with the FBI, Illinois Board of Elections and Will County State's Attorney's Office over a mailing that went out over the weekend to every household in the village.

The anonymous mailing is "filled with false statements," Broderick said. "This is an attempt to smear me before the election."

Broderick said anyone interested in hearing her side of the story on any of the charges in the mailing can call her at home at 815-485-8989 or on her cell at 815-258-3811.

April 4, Noon

Dick Manley, president of the teachers union, AFT Local 604, sent a letter April 1 endorsing Sue Gillooley (incumbent), Nick DiSandro and Kevin Barry in the School District 122 Board of Education election. Gillooley said it was the first time in more than a decade that Local 604 endorsed candidates in District 122.

The letter reads, in part:

"Throughout the history of AFT Local 604, often individual councils in Local 604 make endorsements of school board members.  Sometimes AFT Local 604 makes an endorsement as long as it doesn’t run counter to the position of the council.

"This year, AFT Local 604 has endorsed three individuals running for the New Lenox School District 122 Board of Education. These three candidates have shown a sincere interest in educational issues in the past along with service to your community. I believe them to be objective and fair with 'no axes to grind.'

March 30, 5 p.m.

Thursday is the final day that early voting is available. You can vote early from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Village Hall. If you don't vote early, Election Day is Tuesday, April 5.

As of Saturday, early voting numbers were relatively low, with only about 75 people voting ahead of time.

March 17, 7 p.m.

District 122 candidate for re-election Maureen Broderick said during Wednesday's Board of Education meeting that she hoped an anonymous letter criticizing her wasn't just a political ploy.

Toward the start of the meeting, board President Kathy Markus read a letter aloud from someone who claimed to be a concerned parent. In the letter, the person said Broderick should not be re-elected and referenced a of interest that was later found she had no such conflict.

After further investigating, the author of the letter could not be determined to exist either as a parent in the district or in any regard. Markus said she read the letter at the meeting because that practice has been followed in the past when residents could not attend meetings to speak during the public comment portion.

That upset some board members, and member Sue Smith asked that the board discuss a policy barring letters to be read at the meeting without previous verification.

March 16, 10:15 a.m.

All six candidates for the District 122 Board of Education will speak at the PTO meeting Thursday. The PTO meeting is at 9:30 a.m. at , and the candidate forum will occur immediately after the meeting, perhaps as early as 10 a.m. All are welcome to attend.

March 16, 10 a.m.

The Chamber of Commerce aired its candidate forum Tuesday night, and it will continue to be available for viewing on Channel 6 at various times throughout the day: 9 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The chamber interviewed each candidate for the Lincoln-Way High School District 210, except for one who didn't respond, as well as everyone running for the New Lenox School District 122 Board of Education.

You can also see the chamber's videos , or at our individual election pages. You can see the or the .

March 15, 11 p.m.

Today, we published a letter to the editor from District 210 candidate Kevin Molloy, who is seeking re-election. In it, he, regardless of whether they live in the incorporated or unincorporated district area.

If you've received your sample ballot, you'll see more comprehensive voter instructions than in most cases. Because more than 15 percent but less than 30 percent of the taxable property of the Lincoln-Way High School District is unincorporated territory, state law requires at least one board member to be a resident of that unincorporated territory.

Thus, voters only need to choose at least one candidate who lives in the unincorporated area. As it happens, the split is pretty even among the nine candidates, four of whom are running for re-election. Here's the breakdown of which candidates are from incorporated and unincorporated:

Unincorporated

Incorporated

• Mark Zilinskas

March 14, 5:15 p.m.

On the April 5 ballot, voters will be able to decide whether to give the village authority to seek the lowest bids for electricity rates for residents.

Residents already have the ability to do this themselves, but this would allow the village to get lower rates for residents who might not be aware of the option. The question is:

"Shall the Village of New Lenox have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such program?"

For more information, go to our or view the video directly .

March 13, 2:30 p.m.

Early voting for the April 5 election starts Monday and is available through Thursday, March 31. You can vote early from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Village Hall.

March 6, 11:35 p.m.

If you aren't registered to vote, there's still time this week! The deadline is this Tuesday, March 8. To register, you'll need two forms of valid ID, which includes a driver's license, utility bill, library card and more.

So, where can you register? Any of the local places below, and also at the Will County Clerk's office, 302 N. Chicago St. in Joliet. Here's the local list:

March 4, 12:10 p.m.

The four incumbent candidates for the Lincoln-Way High School District 210 Board of Education are supporting each other this election, and they'll be marching together in the Manhattan parade this weekend.

James Gast, Kevin Molly, Christine Glatz and Stephen White—who operate a website together called "Proven Leadership"—will march in the Manhattan Irish Fest parade at 11 a.m. Saturday.

March 2, 5 p.m.

Two candidates for the District 122 Board of Education are offering voters a chance to meet and talk in person next week.

Incumbent , along with candidate , tell voters to come by Panera Bread, 11069 W Lincoln Hwy in Frankfort, from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 10. Residents are encouraged to bring their comments, questions and concerns. See the event listing .

March 1, 9:30 a.m.

The Village Board plans to reschedule one of its quarterly town hall meetings to accommodate discussion about the .

The meeting, originally planned for Saturday, April 16, will now be in March so residents can use the time to ask about the referendum. The likely date will be 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 26, in the community room of Village Hall.

Mayor Tim Baldermann also said there will be a Q&A played on Channel 6 coming soon.

March 1, 9:10 a.m.

Welcome to the New Lenox Election Log, your hub for news for the April 5 election. Today, we launched our , which offers a breakdown of each race on the ballot, candidate profiles and voting information such as polling locations and sample ballots.  

We'll be updating this space with shorter news items, election-related events and real-time results throughout the next month and on Election Night. But the Election Central will serve as your go-to resource for candidate information, and we'll also update their pages with any more info or related stories we get.