Wheaton venue to host Ready, Set, Vote! DuPage Voting Expo

The League of Women Voters chapters of Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Roselle-Bloomingdale and Wheaton will present their Ready, Set, Vote! DuPage Voting Expo from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Cantigny Park Visitors Center, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton.

Parking is free when visitors tell the attendant they are going to the event. The free expo is an opportunity for the public to ask questions and learn more about the credentials and platforms of candidates running in the Nov. 8 general election.

All candidates running for offices in DuPage County are invited to the Meet and Greet. The following candidate forums are scheduled:

• 12:30-1:20 p.m. - DuPage County Board Chair

• 1:30-2:20 p.m. - DuPage County Clerk

• 2:30-3:20 p.m. - DuPage County Forest Preserve President

• 3:30-4:20 p.m. - Illinois Supreme Court District 3

• 4:30-5:20 p.m. - DuPage County Treasurer

Attendees also will receive a demonstration of DuPage County’s new voting equipment.

“Take this opportunity to meet the candidates, ask them questions, and hear their positions on issues that matter to you,” a news release stated.

How does a League candidate forum work?

The League provides candidate forums for contested races only. All the forums are impartially moderated by trained, nonpartisan volunteers. Each candidate is given equal time to make an opening statement followed by questions from the audience. The audience is given notecards on which to write questions during the course of the event. These questions are reviewed by the League for appropriateness, relevance and redundancy.

The moderator asks questions in rotation so that each candidate has an equal opportunity to be the first to answer. Equal time is given to all candidates to answer each question. After the allotted time for questions is met, each candidate is given time to make their closing statement. If only one candidate for a contested race is present, they will be limited to a two-minute statement of introduction. No surrogates are permitted to participate.

Since the organization’s founding in 1920, the League’s nonpartisan policy has stated that “The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate.”

LWV candidate forums allow voters to learn about candidates from all parties in an equitable setting. It issues invitations to all candidates who appear on the ballot for a specific race, and provides each candidate with the same opportunity to address the public. One does not need to become a League member to attend the event.

The group will follow the most current CDC COVID-19 guidance for in-person events. The candidate forum will be recorded and posted on each of the hosting League chapters’ websites. For information, contact Barbara Laimins at blaimins@gmail.com or 630-525-8020.

Membership in the League is open to people ages 16 and older. For information on the local chapters, visit www.lwvil.org, and to learn more about the League of Women Voters of the United States, visit www.lwv.org.