Lake County Gazette

The Lake County Republican Federation congratulated all of the Republican candidates who ran in the Nov. 8 general election recently, while also seeking candidates to run for upcoming local races.

Although not all campaigns were successful, the group gave a heartfelt thanks to the candidates, committeemen, volunteers and voters.

While the general election is over, the local election cycle already has begun. Elections for a variety of local offices will be held in February and April. Candidates for library board, municipal, park district and school district races can apply now for the 2017 elections. These local boards are essential in maintaining the quality of life in Lake County. Among the duties of these boards is determining property tax rates. The decisions they make will affect homeowners for years to come.

The County Clerk's Office offers candidate services in English and Spanish to assist potential candidates with information and candidate  forms. These forms, as well as election dates and filing deadlines, are available online on the Candidate Services page.  

If a candidate decides to run as a write-in candidate, the "Declaration of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate" must be filed 61 days before the election. If a write-in candidate fails to file this form with the county clerk, those votes will not be counted.