2024 Election: Here are the races and results we are watching in the Sauk Valley

DIXON – Voters in Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties cast their ballots Tuesday for county, state and federal congressional races, and in some cases, answered referendum questions.

What to know about Election Day, results

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Mail-in ballots have two weeks to arrive as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. Provisional ballots also can be addressed and counted in the weeks to come. Election results are not finalized until two weeks after Election Day.

It’s important to remember that race results likely will not be known on election night because counts will be ongoing throughout the night and, for larger races including the presidential race, likely days later.

Readers should visit Shaw Local’s Election Central webpage for the Sauk Valley’s most up-to-date election information Tuesday night and the days after. Results will be tallied on our website.

Ballot measures we are watching

In Lee County, voters are choosing whether the Amboy and Harmon fire departments’ merger will become permanent.

The Amboy Fire Department on Jan. 14 expanded its coverage to include the Harmon Fire Department’s jurisdiction, at least through Dec. 31. The consolidation added 60 square miles to Amboy’s existing 298-square-mile district and serves an additional population of 600 residents in Harmon. An estimated 120 square miles of Amboy’s fire district is tax supported. The communities in the remaining 178 have to contract for emergency services. Before the consolidation agreement, the Harmon Fire Department was funded through annual subscriptions, Amboy Fire Department Capt. Nathan Shaw said.

[ Question of whether to permanently merge Amboy, Harmon fire departments on Nov. 5 ballot ]

Fire protection districts are independent government units that can serve multiple municipalities and collect their own tax revenue. Fire departments can be funded through multiple sources, including shared tax revenues, grants, fees, donations and memberships. They also can partner with neighboring fire departments to consolidate resources and offset costs. The ballot question asks whether the Harmon fire district should be pulled into Amboy’s fire district.

Voters in Whiteside County will decide whether to approve a new 0.5% public safety tax to fund 911 emergency dispatch call center services or leave it to their city’s administration to figure out how to foot their share of the bill.

Whiteside County’s dispatch services cost $1.8 million annually. County officials have said there is a deficit of about $500,000 each year. Outside of radio surcharges, the county and the cities of Sterling and Rock Falls pay for 911 services. Over the past year, Sterling paid $392,465 and Rock Falls paid $294,348, totaling $686,813, as part of their agreements.

[ 5 things to know: Whiteside County voters to decide proposed public safety sales tax Nov. 5. What is it? ]

Without the tax, smaller communities in the county – including Morrison, Fulton, Erie, Albany, Lyndon, Tampico, Prophetstown, Coleta, Deer Grove and Fenton – will have to start chipping in to make up the shortfall.

If voters approve the measure, the new sales tax would add an additional 50 cents for every $100 that shoppers spend on general merchandise in Whiteside County. The tax would not apply to groceries or items that must be titled or registered by a state agency, including watercraft, aircraft, trailers, mobile homes, qualifying drugs (including over-the-counter medications and vitamins) and medical appliances.

Races we are watching

Congressional races

16th Congressional District

• Republican incumbent Darin LaHood
• Scott Summers, independent write-in candidate

17th Congressional District

• Eric Sorensen, incumbent Democrat
• Judge Joe McGraw, Republican

Illinois General Assembly

74th House District

• Bradley J. Fritts, Republican incumbent
• David Simpson, Democrat

Countywide races: Whiteside County Board

District 1 (Vote for four)

• Chanda McDonnell, Democrat
• Thomas L. Ausman, Democrat
• Owen Harrell, Democrat
• Fidencio Hooper-Campos, Democrat
• Michael J Clark, Republican
• Sally Douglas, Republican
• Skip Dettman, Republican
• Terry Woodard, Republican

District 2 (Vote for four)

• Karen Nelson, Democrat
• Katherine A. Nelson, Democrat
• Rita Kelly, Democrat
• Brooke E. Pearson, Republican
• Barry L. Cox, Republican
• Daniel (Sam) Wancket, Republican
• Matt Ward, Republican

District 3, Four-year term (Vote for five)

• Daniel L. Bitler, Democrat
• Michelle M. Vinson, Democrat
• Martin Koster, Republican
• Mark Hamilton, Republican
• Douglas Crandall, Republican
• Rachel Crandall, Republican
• Thomas Alex Williams, Republican