A countywide 1% sales tax referendum to generate revenue for Lake County’s public schools is driving people to the polls locally, as control of the U.S. Congress will be decided by voters in other parts of the country when people vote Tuesday in the biennial midterm elections.
Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega, as well as local leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties, all said they are seeing a lot of interest in the referendum in an election where there are as many uncontested state legislative and county races as contested ones.
“I’m seeing a lot of social media chatter about the (sales tax) referendum, with people having strong opinions either way,” Vega said.
Voters will be casting ballots for federal, state, and county officials as well as referendums between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday at numerous polling places throughout Lake County, and they have already set records for a midterm election.
In Lake County, the election is already record-setting. Since the start of early voting and the acceptance of mail-in ballots on Sept. 24, Vega said 119,981 people had voted through Sunday. That is a midterm election record for the county.
Of those, Vega said 72,213 used mail-in ballots, and 47,768 voted in person. Additional drop boxes complementing the U.S. Postal Service mailboxes made early voting easier, he said. About 84% of mail-in ballots sent were returned through Friday.
“There are drop boxes at every polling place Tuesday,” Vega said. “People can also vote at any polling place in the county.”
On the federal level are elections for a U.S. Senator and the four members of the U.S. House of Representatives representing parts of the county. Statewide, voters will pick the governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer.
More Top Picks American Cuisine
Of the 31 state legislative and county offices on the ballot, 16 are uncontested, and 15 have more than one candidate on the ballot. In the Illinois General Assembly, there are four state Senate contests and nine for the state House of Representatives.
On the countywide level, voters will choose the clerk, treasurer, sheriff, and regional superintendent of schools, as well as 13 of the 18 members on the County Board. Two members of the North Shore Water Reclamation are also on the ballot.
Getting a lot of attention is the sales tax referendum where 1% of most goods sold — food and medicine are exempt — will be distributed to the public school districts in Lake County based on enrollment.
Both Dawn Abernathy, the chair of the Lake County Republican Central Committee, and Lake County Democratic Chair Daniel Didech said they have heard a lot about the ballot question as they engage with voters.
“Tariffs are driving up the cost of living, and the Iran war is putting oil prices at a record level,” Didech said. “We want to make sure we have high-quality, well-funded public schools. It is something very important to many people, including myself.”
Abernathy said the sales tax referendum is one of several — the others are locally sought by municipalities or other taxing districts — on the ballot, potentially adding to the tax burden of county residents.
“Whether I’m talking to independents, Democrats or Republicans, they are all saying we don’t want to be taxed anymore,” Abernathy said. “People are becoming more aware that local elections are the important races that affect our wallets every day. Taxes, taxes and more taxes.”
Though 16 state legislative and county elections are uncontested, two are receiving a lot of attention with television commercials — mostly on the Democratic side — regularly showing on local airwaves.
State Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, appointed to the Senate in February of 2025 to replace former state Sen. Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, is defending her seat against state Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Inverness. Syed is finishing her second term.
Two years ago, state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, narrowly held his seat, defeating Maria Peterson of North Barrington by 27 votes. Peterson and McLaughlin are in a rematch this year.