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LWV of Central Kane County to Host Upcoming Candidate Forums for Contested Kane County Races

CommunityPoliticalPress Release

BATAVIA, IL – The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County (lwvckcil.com) has announced plans for two upcoming candidate forums, which will include candidates in contested races for the upcoming November 3rd General Election. The forums will give voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates, learn about their positions on issues affecting their communities and make informed decisions at the polls.
Both events will be held at Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Avenue in Batavia. BATV will be on site, recording the events and streaming to BATV’s YouTube Channel for online viewers. (BATV’s YouTube Channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/user/BATV1017.)
The first forum will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, beginning at 6:30pm. The forum will be divided into three segments, each lasting roughly 30-40 minutes. All candidates for the offices listed below were invited to participate in the forum.

  • The first segment is reserved for the candidates in contested races for Kane County Board. All of the candidates for County Board Districts 2, 11, 13, and 15 have been invited to participate.
  • The second segment is reserved for the candidates in contested races for Illinois State Senate Districts 33 and 42.
  • The third and final segment is set aside for candidates in the contested race for the office of Kane County Sheriff.
 
The second forum will be held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, beginning at 6:30pm. The format will mirror that of the prior night’s forum – with three segments, each lasting about 30-40 minutes. All candidates for the offices listed below were invited to participate in the forum.
  • The first segment is reserved for the candidates in the contested race for Kane County Treasurer.
  • The second segment of the program is reserved for the candidates in the contested race for Kane County Clerk.
  • The third segment is scheduled for the candidates who are in the contested races for IL State Rep in districts 49, 65, and 83.
 
Each forum segment will have a prescribed structure, including a round of opening statements, a series of questions posed to the candidates by a trained LWV moderator, and finally a round of closing statements. The audience will have the opportunity to submit questions prior to and during the forum. Questions submitted by members of the audience will be reviewed by a team of League members for clarity and appropriateness, then forwarded to the moderator to be asked, subject to available time.
 
The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County has an “empty chair policy” which prohibits participation by a candidate if no opponent is present. Candidates in attendance whose opponents are absent will be given time for a 3-minute statement in lieu of taking part in the forum itself.
Recordings of the forums will remain on the BATV YouTube Channel through the election season. In addition, recordings will be archived on the LWV of Central Kane County website at https://lwvckcil.com/candidate-issue-forums.
Kelly Rotella and Patti Lackman are the Co-Presidents of the LWV of Central Kane County, and they also share duties as Co-Chairs of Voter Service for the organization. Kelly Rotella said, “Voters in our community deserve the opportunity to learn about their candidates for public office, so they can be best prepared to make informed decisions at the polls. We commend the candidates who have already confirmed their participation in the upcoming forums; and we urge any candidates who have not yet done so to send in their participation agreements without delay.” Patti Lackman added, “The League likens a candidate forum to a job interview. An applicant wouldn’t expect to be hired for a job if he or she refused to show up for the interview. League of Women Voters candidate forums provide voters the opportunity to hear directly from their candidates, so they can make informed ‘hiring’ decisions when voting.”
Below are some important dates to know for the November 3rd General Election in Illinois.
  • September 24 through November 2, 2026: Early Voting Period
  • November 3, 2026: Election Day
  • November 17, 2026: Last day to count mail-in ballots and provisional ballots
Due to changes in the processing of U.S. Mail, the LWV of Central Kane County highly recommends that voters using vote-by-mail plan to have their ballot in the U.S. Mail by October 20th. After that date, mail-in ballots can be deposited in one of the official drop-boxes provided by the County Clerk.
Voters or members of the media with questions are invited to email voterservice@lwvckcil.com or to call 630-360-2004 and leave a voicemail.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

LWV of Central Kane County to Host Upcoming Candidate Forums for Contested Kane County Races