Calling potential candidates: filing window for county seats approaches

2024 is an election year at all levels of government in Cook County.

WTIP spoke previously with Cook County Auditor Treasurer Braidy Powers and Elections Director Cortnee Bernier about dates and procedures for voters. Before the elections, however, prospective candidates will need to file with the Auditor Treasurer’s Office to get on the ballot. The first window for candidate filing begins in just a few weeks.

Several seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners and Soil and Water Conservation District Board will be up for election this year. The county level seats are eligible for a primary election, depending on the number of candidates who file.

While the primary election won’t take place until August, the window for candidate filing for the county seats is from May 21 until Jun. 4. The seats that are up for election this year for the Board of Commissioners are in districts 2 and 4. For the Soil and Water board, the seats in districts 1, 3, and 5 are up for election.

The Grand Marais City Council, ISD 166 School Board, and North Shore Health board races will not include a primary, and instead they will only be part of the general election in November. The filing window for those races from Jul. 30 until Aug. 13.

To file for candidacy, Powers said that those interested in running should stop by his office at the Cook County Courthouse. Potential candidates can complete their paperwork in person, or opt to take it with them, though the affidavit of candidacy will need to be notarized. He said that any one who is at 21 years old, an eligible voter, and a resident of the district they are hoping to represent, can run.

Powers said that the primary election will include candidates for the statewide races, such as US House of Representatives District 8 and State House District 3A. Those primaries will be partisan, since candidates are running to represent a party in the general election. For the county seats, however, candidates do not need to be a member of a political party, and the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of background, will appear on the general election ballot in November.

For Cook County residents interested in running for one of the Board of Commissioners or Soil and Water Conservation District Board seats, Powers suggests that they consult the district maps for each board. He also said that residents with further questions about running or about determining their district should stop by the Auditor Treasurer’s office for additional assistance.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Cook County Auditor Treasurer Braidy Powers about the upcoming candidate filing window for county board seats. The audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski May 2, 2024