Dear Neighbor,
As you know, Early Voting is now taking place. Whether you vote early or on Election Day, one of the choices you will be asked to make when you go to the polls is whether certain appellate and circuit court judges should retain their seats. In many respects, judges have a more direct impact on our lives than most political office holders.
Seventy judges will be on the “judicial retention ballot,” making it impossible for even the most experienced lawyer, let alone the average voter, to make an intelligent decision on the qualifications of each judge. To assist voters, several local bar associations offer evaluations of the judges performance in office and recommendations on who should and should not retain their jobs.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers, a non-partisan, progressive and reform-minded bar association, engages in the most thorough and comprehensive judicial evaluation process. The Council’s Committee to Elect Qualified Judges uses those evaluations to make judicial retention recommendations.
I urge you to examine the Council’s evaluations and abide by the Committee’s recommendations when you vote. For a copy of the Council’s judicial evaluation report, visit their web site, www.chicagocouncil.org.
Click HERE, for a copy of the JUDICIAL RETENTION SAMPLE BALLOT. You may take the sample ballot with you into the polling booth.
Remember, you can VOTE EARLY at any number of convenient locations, Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from now until October 30th. Here are the locations that are most convenient to 49th Ward residents:
Pottawattomie Park
7340 N. Rogers (just west of the Clark and Rogers Walgreen’s)
Edgewater Library
1210 W. Elmdale (at Broadway)
Warren Park
6601 N. Western (2 blocks south of Pratt)
Chicago Board of Elections
69 W. Washington (across from Daley Plaza)
I hope the evaluations and recommendations will be helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Joe Moore