’24 Election Preview

November 5th, 2024 marks election day here in the United States, with the race for the White House being a deadlocked contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, following incumbent Joe Biden ending his bid for reelection in late July.

Yet the presidential election is only one of over a dozen elections and questions voters in the Champaign Unit 4 School District community will see appear on their ballot, with state legislators, congressional representatives, and County representatives/officials all being up for election, alongside questions regarding tax increases, ideas on state constitutional amendments, and the retention of judges.
For students and staff in Unit 4 who will be eligible to vote on or before November 5th, many can check their voter status or register to vote with the County Clerk’s office, with same-day voter registration being available at their polling place.

Across Central, some students and staff members see this year’s presidential contest as all too familiar to other recent elections. For senior Leena McDonald, who plans on voting this year, she sees a parallel between the 2008 election and today. She then answered in an interview, “this is comparable to past elections because if Harris gets elected, it will be historic just like when Obama was elected.”

CCHS government teacher Brandon Goslin, who’s been voting since 2012, views this election as a blend of familiarity and uniqueness compared to past elections. He notes that similar to the 2016 election, where a woman was one of the main candidates, “we’re kind of seeing a referendum on gender in politics, I guess in some ways we can compare it to 2016 when it was Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump.”
When asked about the notability of this election to past ones, McDonald also referenced the 2016 election, stating “there have been other elections where women have tried to run and didn’t make it, but this could be historical if Harris were to get voted into office.”

On issues, Goslin went on to point out how many of the major issues have been prevalent for a while, yet the importance of each issue can vary based on who is running for president. He stated“the problems that the country is facing are sometimes similar in some ways but are often different. Right now, people care about issues like immigration, grocery prices, housing, affordability, and those have always been concerns, but sometimes some of those issues are highlighted more in different elections depending on the candidates.”

Goslin also pointed out the gender gaps present in both the 2016 election and today, remarking “We do see a gender gap amongst voters, where women are usually supporting female candidates, while men are in much larger numbers supporting the male candidates.” Goslin also explained a trend among white male voters leaning towards the Republican Party, as the Democrats continue to appeal to a diverse voter base. He remarked, “I think about internet culture and a lot of other things that it kind of leads to more of an “it’s not okay to be a man anymore” ideal that’s become more rampant among young men online, especially in more conservative circles.”

When it comes to what McDonald and Goslin believe will influence the election the most, they both answered on similar subjects. McDonald believes that “this presidential election has been influenced a lot by social media, most people get their information through other people’s opinions/posts and don’t always do their own research which is sad, but happens all the time.”

Goslin believes that the rise of AI, alongside its use on social media, is one factor influencing this election. “For this election in particular we’re seeing a lot of AI misinformation,” answered Goslin. “So we know that the government itself has said that some other countries like Iran, Russia, North Korea, China, are all getting involved in AI misinformation about the election, candidates, or voting in an attempt to destabilize that.” Goslin also referenced certain AI misinformation incidents spread by Trump, remarking “He has also laid the ground for a lot of misinformation about conspiracy theories related to the election, and whether he will peacefully transfer power over if he does lose.”

In recent decades, Champaign County has been dominated by the Democratic Party, with Coroner Steve Thuney serving as the only Republican in the Countywide office. As a result, certain elections will only contain one Democratic candidate, with some rural districts containing only one Republican candidate. Below is every election within U4SD’s boundaries, alongside candidate summaries, unless it’s a County board position.

President

Kamala Harris/Tim Walz (D)
The newcomer to this election field following Joe Biden’s dropout from the race in late July after concerns over his age following a debate against Trump in June, which many considered disastrous, Harris has already managed to gain strong support across front yards in Champaign and Savoy. While not the incumbent in this election like Biden was, Harris has faced much of the same criticism from Republicans and Trump over issues such as border security and the economy, with regard to inflation and gas prices.

Donald Trump/JD Vance (R)
A familiar face in the presidential race for the past nine years now, Trump looks to take back the White House following his defeat in 2020, which he has claimed was stolen from him. While Trump is highly unlikely to win in Champaign County (where he failed to earn more than 37% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020), and Illinois (which hasn’t swung red since 1988), he’s the candidate to watch for in most swing states, where polls in October have shown Trump and Harris in a deadlock over each of the seven states likely to go either way.

Robert F Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent)
While Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump a few months before the election, he remains on the ballot in the state of Illinois.

Congress

IL-13 Congressional District (Champaign & Savoy)

Nikki Budzinski (D)
The one-term incumbent in this race, Budzinski has come in strong with donor money, boasting over $3.3 million in campaign funds, compared to just under $27,000 for her opponent, Joshua Loyd. Prior to her election to the house in 2022, Budzinski worked as a senior advisor to Governor J.B. Pritzker, and in the Biden administration as the chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget. With a long history of working with trade unions, Budzinski has gained a reputation for introducing and sponsoring bills relating to employees and working families, including the Fair Warning Act to strengthen laws that require employers to provide warnings in advance of layoffs.

Joshua Loyd (R)
The newcomer to being a political candidate, Loyd has worked on previous political campaigns and works as a photographer in southern Illinois. As a West Point graduate, Loyd has advocated for sending less funding to Israel and Ukraine, an issue which has resulted in Pro-Palestinian groups demonstrating outside of his opponent’s office. Loyd has also run as an advocate for gun owners, receiving an AQ rating from the National Rifle Association, and an A rating, alongside an endorsement, from the Gun Owners of America.

IL-15 Congressional District (Rural Northern Fringe of U4SD)

Mary Miller (R)
The only candidate in this race, Miller booted fellow Republican Rodney Davis, who had been redistricted from IL-13 to IL-15 from Congress in 2022. Since then, Miller, the conservative Freedom Caucus member, has recently introduced The Defining Male and Female Act of 2024, an act that would constitutionally codify gender as male and female.

State Senate
District 52

Paul Faraci (D)
Faraci became appointed as a state senator following the death of Scott Bennett. The former Deputy Mayor of Champaign is running for re-election against another Champaign resident, Jeff Brownfield. According to his campaign website, Faraci looks to increase equity across career paths and raise funding for colleges and universities. Locally, Faraci is a former business owner, and his daughter graduated from Central last spring, making him a familiar face among many students at Central.

Jeff Brownfield (R)
The Republican candidate for the 52nd state senate district, Brownfield unsuccessfully ran for the Unit 4 school board in 2023. He is currently looking to unseat Faraci with a platform that plans to reduce taxes and reverse policies he considers to be “soft on crime.” Locally, Brownfield has two children who attend Centennial High School, and he formerly served as the Centennial football boosters co-chair.

State House

District 101 (Bondville, Rural NW Champaign)

Chris G. Miller (R)
The husband of Mary Miller, the representative for the 15th congressional district in Illinois, Chris Miller holds many of the same positions as his wife, running unopposed on a conservative platform dedicated to lowering taxes and promoting business-friendly regulations.
District 103 (Central/Northern/Western Champaign)

Carol Ammons (D)
The only candidate in the race for much of Champaign-Urbana, Ammons has served in the 103rd district for nearly a decade, after first being elected in 2014. She is considered by many to be a progressive Democrat.

District 104 (Southern/Southwest Champaign and Savoy)

Jarrett Clem (D)
In a battleground district across Champaign and Vermilion counties, Clem, alongside the heavy support of state Democrats, who’ve poured money into ads for Clem and against Schweizer, looks to flip the 104th district blue. Running as a blue-collar union Democrat, Clem looks to expand vocational programs and advocate for trade unions in the state house.

Brandun Schweizer (R)
Appointed in December 2023, Schweizer is looking to seek his first full term in the 104th district, which stretches from the suburban outskirts of Champaign and Savoy to Danville, where Schweizer resides. The target of ads from state Democrats who have claimed Schweizer is funded by “extremists,” Schweizer has responded that he believes Trump lost the 2020 election. He also believes the former president should not be tied to the January 6th attack on the U.S. capitol through some of his donors. A veteran, Schweizer is campaigning for prioritizing safety and fighting rising costs.

Statewide Advisory Questions
All of the following questions are non-binding, and simply serve to guide lawmakers on what voters may want passed.

Should any candidate appearing on the Illinois ballot for federal, State, or local office be subject to civil penalties if the candidate interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker’s official duties?

Following false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, alongside threats that election workers have received as a result, this question poses the idea of penalizing candidates who attempt to interfere with the duties of election officials.

Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3% tax on income greater than $1,000,000 for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief?

Proposed following the failure of the “Fair Tax Amendment” in 2020, this looks to serve as an alternative to the graduated tax referendum, by instead using the increased taxes on millionaires to fund property tax relief. If supported, then the state would have to go through a supermajority of state lawmakers before being put on the ballot again as a binding referendum.

Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois which provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments?
A question proposed amid attempts in other states to curb the use of I.V.F, following the overturning of Roe v Wade, this asks voters whether or not they’d support the idea of insurance companies covering IVF treatments if they cover other pregnancy benefits.

Countywide Positions

Auditor

George Danos (D)
A controversial candidate, Danos is running for Auditor, while his party has endorsed the elimination of the position after an investigation earlier this year into Danos led to the County board voting to censure him in May alongside a vote of “no confidence” among the County Democrats in September. In response, Danos has crusaded against the County as a “suppressed Auditor,” standing vehemently against the referendum to increase Champaign County’s sales tax, calling it a “propaganda bill.”

Alan Anderson (R)
The Republican challenger to Danos is running on the slogan “restore integrity.” Anderson claims if the County Auditor’s position were eliminated and merged with the County Executive, it’d open up opportunities for fraud. Running off of the platform that Danos is unfit for the job while also keeping the Auditor an elected position, Anderson seeks to appeal to voters as a long-shot alternative to either a third term for Danos, or the loss of the Auditor as an elected position.

Coroner

Laurie Brauer (D)
Currently, the Deputy Coroner is running a campaign to make the Coroner’s office more efficient. Brauer is looking to unseat her boss, Steve Thuney. Despite not being in the Champaign County Coroner’s office as long as her opponent, Brauer believes her empathy and EMT experience make her the most qualified for the job.

Steve Thuney (R)
The incumbent in this race, Thuney holds the honor of being the only Republican currently holding office in a Champaign County position, which he has held since the resignation of Duane Northup (R). As the incumbent, Thuney argues his 14 years of experience with the Coroner’s office, alongside over 5,000 death investigations, makes him the fittest candidate for the job.

Circuit Clerk

Susan W. McGrath (D)
As the sole candidate for Circuit Clerk, McGrath aims to facilitate the transition to fully electronic courtrooms. Her role would involve assisting with court records, documents, and passport renewals.

State’s Attorney

Julia R. Rietz (D)
The Champaign County State’s Attorney is a position that leads prosecutions in the County and defends actions brought against the County. Being a 20-year veteran in the State’s Attorney position, Rietz is running unopposed for her fourth term, despite known opposition from pro-Palestinian and left-wing groups online.

Countywide Referendums

“To pay for public safety purposes, shall Champaign County be authorized to impose an increase on its share of local sales taxes by one-quarter percent?”
A referendum which the County has campaigned heavily for on billboards across town, Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Huerman argues this 0.25% increase is necessary in order to increase funding for public defenders, welfare resources, and hiring more County officers, claiming if this tax is not passed, he may have to cut deputy jobs by 2026. In contrast, State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) has argued that increasing the sales tax rate would only increase the tax burden low-income residents face in Champaign County.

“Shall the office of the Champaign County Auditor be eliminated, effective December 1, 2024?”
A referendum which the County Democrats have endorsed their support of, but opposed by both candidates Danos (D) and Anderson (R), this question seeks to end the County Auditor’s office as an elected position. Instead of voters electing an Auditor, the County board would hire someone to carry out the work of the Auditor, while the Champaign County Accounting Department would likely merge with the County Executive’s department. If passed, the results of the County Auditor’s election would be nullified, and the position would cease to exist on December 1st. If rejected, the winner of the County Auditor’s race will go on to serve the next term as Auditor.

City of Champaign Township (Champaign city limits) Question

“Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for the City of Champaign Township be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.1786% above the limiting rate for the purpose of maintaining a 24/7, low-barrier shelter and providing for Assessor’s Office needs for levy year 2023 and be equal to 0.2203% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2024?”
A referendum added by the City of Champaign Township (Champaign city limits) to the ballot in August, this question seeks to increase the township’s property tax rate by 428%, from 4.17 cents per every $100 of assessed value to 22.03 cents, which is expected to generate around $4 million in revenue for the township, which it plans to use $3.4 million of in order to keep their strides low-barrier homeless shelter open. For example, someone with a house worth $100,000 would go from paying $13.90 annually to paying $73.87 annually to the township. For those in favor of the move, they see the increase as necessary in order to keep a roof over the most vulnerable. On the other hand, some in opposition argue the low-barrier shelter’s clients have brought with them issues, such as drug abuse, which they believe has made Downtown Champaign less welcoming to customers.

County Board

District 1 (Rural NW Champaign, Bondville)
Jeff Wilson (R)

District 4 (Southwest Champaign, Mayfair Park neighborhood, and Savoy)
Elizabeth Hanauer-Friedman (D)

District 5 (Far West Champaign (Lincolnshire Fields, Kenwood, Parkland)
Matt Sullard (D)
Lucas Atwood (R)

District 6 (Western Champaign (Country Fair, Centennial, Eisner Park), Northwest Champaign (Garden Hills, Dobbins Downs, St. Thomas Moore), Northern Champaign (North Prospect, Wilbur Heights, Shadowwood, Bristol Park)
Samantha Carter (D)
Carolyn Greer (D) (unexpired two-year term)
Greer is running in a special election for an unexpired two-year term over District 6 following the resignation of Mike Ingram, who moved outside of his district.

District 7 (Southern Champaign (Southside, Hessel Park, Greencroft, Devonshire, Lincolnshire, Ayrshire, Colony West, Campus south of Daniel)
Daniel Wiggs (D)

District 8 (Central Champaign (Sesquicentennial Neighborhood, Holy Cross, Downtown, Central HS, Clark Park, Midtown, Campus north of Daniel)
Emily Rodriguez (D)
Latrina Peete (R)

District 9 (Southeast Savoy near Carrie Busey and Colbert Park)
Jake Fava (D)

District 11 (Northern Champaign (Spalding Park, Downtown north of Main, Skelton Park, Douglass Park, Beardsley Park, Garwood)
Brett Peugh (D)

*Other districts do not cover Unit 4*