Your Vote: A Guide to the Nov. 6 Election

Election Day. It's finally here. After months of hard campaigning across the county, Kendall County voters are ready to make cast ballots that could change the face of county government. 

The county boards in Kendall and Kane counties are certain to see some new faces and voters in Kendall will have a chance to have their say on a non-binding referendum asking all local taxing bodies to undertake a 20 percent budget cut.

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• Wondering where to vote on Election Day? Try this handy Google wizard. 

LOCAL RACES

Perhaps the hardest fought race has been that for Kendall County Coroner. Longtime incumbent Ken Toftoy has been fighting off challenger Mike Dabney ever since Dabney collected enough signatures this summer to make it on the ballot. 

The Kendall County board is guaranteed to see some new faces. , Amy Cesich, are running for five seats. Of the five Republicans, only Judy Gilmour is a non-incumbent. 

The District 2 race is more open with only three of the eight contenders (five Republicans and three Democrats) going into Tuesday as incumbents. 

In Kane County the big matchup is for County Board chairman, which pits Republican State Sen. Chris Lauzen against St. Charles Mayor Sue Klinkhamer, a Democrat. 

Click here for profiles on Kendall and Kane county candidates. 

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Republicans are pushing hard to make House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Democratic majorities in the General Assembly an issue. Out in the far western suburbs, Republicans Kay Hatcher, Garrett Peck and Jim Oberweis look to make a strong showing in this traditionally conservative area. They'll take on Democrats Andrew Bernard, Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and Corrine Pierog, respectively

25th Senate: Jim Oberweis (R) vs. Corrine Pierog (D)

Perennial candidate Jim Oberweis takes on newcomer Corrine Pierog. Oberweis has won the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald and Kane County Chronicle in this race. While Pierog touts the endorsement of countless local unions and Montgomery Mayor Marilyn Michelini. 

49th Senate: Garrett Peck (R) vs. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D)

Plainfield Republican Garrett Peck, a village trustee, was among the candidates who received endorsements from the Chicago Tribune. Peck is going up against Will County Regional Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

In endorsing Peck, the Trib wrote that Bertino-Tarrant “is woefully short on specifics about how to address the state's most vexing problems,” while saying Peck “speaks with confidence about how he'd fix the state's pension and workers' compensation systems, about the limitations of the new campaign finance laws, about the Catch-22 of handing out tax breaks to prevent businesses from fleeing the state. He would like to abolish the do-nothing Health Facilities Planning Board. He would bring a common-sense business perspective to state government."

50th State House: Kay Hatcher (R) vs. Andrew Bernard (D)

Incumbent Kay Hatcher has been representing the 50th District since 2009. Challenger Andrew Bernard is a political newcomer Democratic Chairman of the Geneva Township. 

75th State House: Pam Roth (R) vs. Jeremy Ly (D)

Republican Pam Roth is the incumbent State Representative from the 75th District. Her opponent Jeremy Ly, a member of the Grundy County board. He did not respond to requests for information from Patch. 

84th State House: Pat Fee (R) vs. Stephanie Kifowit

This race has seen its share of politicking on both sides. Kifowit, who is a city of Aurora alderman and Marine Corps veteran, has accussed Fee's campaign of playing dirty while Fee has said she found her opponent's accusations insulting. Fee has picked up the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune and Daily Herald.

REFERENDA

Nonbinding Levy reduction: Shall every levy of every governing body within the County of Kendall, Illinois be reduced 20% over the previous year's levy?

City of Yorkville: Should the United City of Yorkville purchase the Rec Center to operate as a public recreation facility through a 20-year installment purchase contract at a purchase price not to exceed $2.5 million with interest at a rate not to exceed 6% per year?"

Kendall County: Shall the County of Kendall 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?

Kendall County: Shall the County of Kendall impose an additional surcharge of up to $0.75 per month per network connection to the existing $0.75 surcharge (total not to exceed $1.50 per month) which surcharge will be added to the monthly bill you receive for telephone or telecommunications charges, for the purpose of improving a 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone System?

Kane County Advisory: Should the United States Constitution be amended to limit the use of corporate, special interest, and private money in any political activity, including influencing the election of any candidate for public office?

State Constitutional Amendment: Also on the ballot is an amendment to the state constitution that would require a three-fifths majority for any government body to change its pension system. Both conservative and liberal lobbying groups have lined up against this amendment, saying it's bad policy and doesn't address the problems with the state's pension burdens.

CONGRESS

Two congressional races in northern Illinois are must-watch contests. Democrat Tammy Duckworth's bid to unseat Rep. Joe Walsh, a Tea Party favorite, in the north suburbs has drawn a lot national attention and out-of-district financial support. And in the west suburbs, Rep. Judy Biggert is trying to stay in the House and fend off Bill Foster, a former one-term congressman trying to return to Congress, but the latest polling shows them in a dead heat.

11th District: Judy Biggert (R) vs. Bill Foster (D) 

Republican Judy Biggert is running neck and neck against Bill Foster in the newly drawn 11th District. Biggert, who currently represents the 3rd Congressional District, is seeking an eighth term. Former Congressman Foster represented the 14th District from 2008 to 2010. A recent poll showed Foster with a slight edge heading into election day. 

14th District: Randy Hultgren (R) vs. Dennis Anderson (D)

Hultgren currently represents the 14th District in Congress and seeking his second term in office. He has the endorsements of the Daily Herald, the Northwest Herald and the Chicago Tribune. This is Anderson's first time running for elected office. He is a retired assistant director at the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at the University of Loyola in Chicago. 

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