Candidate Information
*This guide is mainly aimed at the community directly surrounding Illinois State University in Normal. For ballot information in other locations, try resources like BallotReady and Vote411.
Be informed and prepared for election day by knowing what candidates will be on the ballot and where they stand on the issues. The following local offices will be on the ballot April 4th. Sample ballots are available on the McLean County Clerk's website. BallotReady and Vote411 (supported by the League of Women Voters) are also great resources for identifying who will be on your ballot.
Check out My Reps to learn about who is currently representing you. To learn more about who is on the ballot, check out WGLT's 2023 election coverage.
Why Vote Local?
People are often aware of presidential and midterm year elections in November but often overlook the spring municipal elections. The municipal elections are held every other year and elect positions such as mayor, town council, and library trustee positions. These races often come down to just a handful of votes, so every vote counts! In 2017, the race for Normal’s mayor came down to just 11 votes ! They also create ordinances and pass policies on things like tax use, parking, rent conditions, and many other things that directly impact students and community members.
Regional Boards of Trustees
Regional Board of School Trustees (vote for not more than 3)
The Illinois State Board of Education partners with more local, Regional Offices of Education (ROEs) to serve local school districts. These ROEs are administered by a seven-person board of trustees that serve six-year terms. They work to change school district boundaries, address student requests to attend school in a district outside where they live, and agreements to form new districts.
Debora Ford Vanhoorn - Logan County
Christopher D. Ware - Dewitt County
Heartland Community College Board of Trustees (vote for 2)
Heartland Community College has a board of trustees that consists of seven members, elected by voters of District 540, and one non-voting student member, selected by the Student Government Association at Heartland Community College. The seven members are elected to serve six-year terms while the student member serves a one-year term. With local tax dollars being one of Heartland Community College’s primary funding sources, the board of trustees are elected by local voters. The board of trustees duties include: “to appoint the president, other administrative personnel, and faculty, and to appoint or delegate the appointment of all other staff, to establish the principal policies and strategic direction of the institution; to hold, preserve, and invest the assets of the district; and to represent the institution to the public”. The non-voting student member has all the privileges of membership but is not considered in determining a quorum for board action.
Mary Campbell
David Selzer
Local Candidates in Normal
Normal Town Council (Vote for 3)
Along with the Mayor, the Normal Town Council are “responsible for enacting local laws, ordinances and resolutions as well as determining overall Town policies”. Also, they are responsible for appointing the city manager, who oversees the daily municipal operations, drafts a budget, and executes policies and initiatives. Six council members are elected in nonpartisan elections and serve four-year terms. Normal is an at-large system, meaning council members represent the entire town of Normal and are not elected to represent a subset of the town, such as certain districts or wards.
Catherine Cannon (write in)
Unit 5 School Board (Vote for 4)
The seven members of the board of education govern the district. Their powers and duties include the “authority to adopt, enforce and monitor all policies for the management and governance of the District's schools”. The school board are representatives for local citizens and provide community members control over education in their districts.
There are various townships throughout Unit 5 to ensure that not all candidates are from the same area of the district. For each township, vote for up to 3 candidates.
Township 24N Range 2E:
Township 23N Range 2E
Township 23N Range 1E
Brad Wurth
Township 24N Range 3E
Normal Public Library Board of Trustees (vote for 3)
The board of trustees is a group of seven members who are elected for six-year terms through local elections. Their responsibilities include the creation and adoption of laws to govern the library, spending library funds, appointing the library director, and general oversight of the library. The board of trustees advocate for the advancement of educational and recreational resources in the library and the communities that they serve.
Terry Lindberg
Dylan Hile-Broad
Amy Ersland
Local Candidates in Bloomington
Bloomington City Council
Council members must be a resident of the ward and are elected by voters within the ward. They represent voters who elect them and serve in their constituents’ best interests. Bloomington is separated into 9 wards with one council member representing each ward. City council members serve four-year terms.
Ward 1:
Ward 2:
Donna Boelen
Ward 4:
Steven Nafelski
Ward 6:
Ward 8:
Kent Lee
District 87 School Board (Vote for 3)
The school board, consisting of seven members govern the district. They oversee all policies for the administration of the district. School board members are elected at-large in non-partisan elections and serve four-year terms. As representatives for local citizens, they serve as advocates the students and community’s school and strive towards the “equitable and quality education for every students”.
Mark Wylie
Veleda L Harvey
Cathy Lust
Courtney Turnbull
Referendums
Normal Community Unit 5 School District - Proposition To Increase Maximum Annual Educational Tax Rate
The largest public school district in McLean County (Unit 5) is having a referendum on increasing its budget. It has been operating with a deficit for the past few years, and so is appealing directly to voters for an additional $20.5 million. It is not, however, simply a proposal to increase taxes. Currently, property is taxed within Unit 5 at 5.61%, slated to be cut to 4.03% in 2026. This proposal instead only cut the tax rate to 4.83%. Those supporting the referendum believe that the resulting funding would be used to shrink class sizes, provide better learning materials for students, and fund much-needed safety improvements in school buildings as well as retain programs like music and foreign language. Those that do not support the referendum believe it will ultimately increase their taxes, and believe the school district should simply tighten its belt.
Voting "yes" on this referendum would support increasing the maximum annual education tax rate.
Voting "no" on this referendum would oppose increasing the maximum annual education tax rate.
Additional information can be found on WGLT and The Pantagraph.
To report incorrect links or additional candidate information, email the Center for Civic Engagement.