University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2008 Illinois General Election Candidate Guide November 4th, 2008 Sponsored by: I-Vote & Illinois Student Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Paid for by SORF Know your voting right! For more information visit our Facebook Group: U-C I-Vote 1 Election Information 3-5 President and Vice President 6-11 United States Senator 11-16 US Representative in Congress 17-18 Representative in the General Assembly 19-20 Champaign County Auditor 21 Champaign County Circuit Clerk 22 Champaign County Coroner 23-24 Champaign County Recorder of Deeds 25 Champaign County State’s Attorney 26-27 Champaign County Board Member 28-36 Referenda 37-39 2 Election FAQS When do I vote? - The general election is Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 between 6AM and 7PM. - Early voting is available at the Champaign County Clerk’s office from October 13th thru October 30th. The office is located at 1776 E. Washington St., Urbana, Illinois. www.champaigncountyclerk.com provides exact times this service is available. What do I need to bring with me when I vote? - If you are a first time voter required to show ID, the acceptable forms of ID include: a current and valid photo ID, a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other governmental document that shows name and address. - Students who are registered to vote in the UIUC dorms can print out a proof of address card from the MyHousing website. Where do I vote? - Your polling place will be listed on your voter registration card or you can look at the map on page 4 - If you lose your voter registration card, you can find your polling place at www.champaigncountyclerk.com Where can I get information about the candidates? - This guide lists all general election candidates in the campus area. To see your ballot prior to the election, visit www.champaigncountyclerk.com What should I do if I registered to vote, but my registration status is questioned at the polling place or if I forget my ID? - All voters are entitled to cast a provisional ballot if there is a question regarding their voter registration status. - You may cast a provisional ballot if your name does not appear on the voter registration list; your voting status is challenged; a court order instructs your polling place to stay open after 7:00 PM; or if you forget to bring a correct form of ID. - If you forget ID or have documentation that you registered to vote, you can either bring the ID or documentation to the election judge before voting closes on election day, or to the county clerk’s office before the close of voting on the Thursday following election day. - Don’t leave your polling place without casting a ballot! 3 Where do you vote? For more information visit www.champaigncountyclerk.com Funded by SORF Contact Information Champaign County Clerk’s Office: http://www.champaigncountyclerk.com University of Illinois College Democrats: http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/democrat University of Illinois College Republicans: http://www.uiucgop.org University of Illinois College Greens: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/CampusGreensofUIUC/ University of Illinois College Libertarians: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/CollegeLibertarians/join.html Illinois Democratic Party: http://www.ildems.com Illinois Republican Party: http://www.ilgop.org Illinois Green Party: http://www.ilgp.org Illinois Libertarian Party: http://www.lpillinois.org Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org (Find more voter registration information at http://www.iss.uiuc.edu) 5 Democrat: Barack Obama and Joe Biden (President and Vice President of the United States) Contact Info: Website: www.barackobama.com Phone: (866) 675-2008 Mailing Address Obama for America P.O. Box 8102 Chicago, IL 60680 Experience: Barack Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School He became an attorney as well as an accomplished author worked as a financial analyst as well as a community organizer in Chicago Obama was a senior lecturer of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School Barack Obama served for three terms in the Illinois State Legislature Was elected to the United States Senate in 2004 Taxation: Cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families with a tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples. Provide generous tax cuts for low- and middle-income seniors, homeowners, the uninsured, and families sending a child to college or looking to save and accumulate wealth. Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses, cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, and provide tax credits to reduce the cost of healthcare and to reward investments in innovation. Dramatically simplify taxes by consolidating existing tax credits, eliminating the need for millions of senior citizens to file tax forms, and enabling as many as 40 million middle-class Americans to do their own taxes in less than five minutes without an accountant. Economy: Will fight for fair trade, amend the North American Free Trade Agreement, improve transition assistance, and reward companies that support American workers. Invest in the Manufacture sector and create 5 million new green jobs by doubling funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and creating new job training programs for clean technologies. Support small business by providing tax relief for small businesses and start up companies, and creating a national network of public-private business incubators. 6 Green: Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente (President and Vice President of the United States) Contact Info: Website: http://votetruth08.com/ Email: [email protected] Experience: Elected as first African-American Congresswoman from Georgia in 1992; served six terms Served as a member of the House Armed Services and International Relations Committees Graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in International Relations and a MA in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University Foreign Policy: Pre-emptive invasions of foreign nations are unjustifiable. Ban the use of lands mines, as well as chemical, biological and nuclear warfare. Supports withdrawal of majority of troops and bases overseas. Urges ending all military aid to Israel. Government should provide aid to foreign nations for family planning, abortion and contraception. Domestic Policy: Lifetime universal health care is a right, not a privilege. Demands the repeal of all sections of the Patriot Act Support the right of all unions for all citizen and foreign workers Women's rights to control their bodies is non-negotiable. Supports equality for all persons, regardless of sex, gender, or sexual orientation. Supports a complete separation of Church and State. Oppose any and all use of school vouchers that remove funding from public schools. Supports tuition-free secondary education at public institutions. Calls for decriminalization of victimless crimes. Employers must provide full rights for immigrant workers who contribute to Social Security. Energgy: Supports the reduction, then elimination, of use of fossil fuels. Calls for alternative energy sources and the independence of foreign oil and fuels. Opposes drilling for fuels in North America to include ANWR. Opposes any form of nuclear power. 7 Republican: John McCain and Sarah Palin (President and Vice President of the United States) Contact Info: Website: www.JohnMcCain.com Phone: (703) 418-2008 Mailing Address John McCain 2008 P.O. Box 16118 Arlington, VA 22215 Experience: McCain attended United States Naval Academy from 1954 to 1958. Served as a pilot, a captain, and a squadron commander in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1981. Attended National War College from 1973 to 1974. John was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982. He was then elected to the United States Senate representing the state of Arizona in 1986. Finally, he was reelected to the Senate by nearly 77 percent of the vote in 2004. Foreign Policy: McCain is considered to be a “war hawk” on foreign policy issues. He supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and continues to call for an increase in US troop presence overseas. McCain has pushed for strong confrontation with the nation of Iran. He has stated that "the military option cannot be taken off the table" in dealing with the Iranians. John also firmly supports the sovereignty of the state of Israel. He would certainly defend America’s alliance with the Israelis as President. Immigration: McCain has generally supported loose immigration policies. He co-sponsored legislation that would legalize and eventually provide citizenship to the 12 – 20 million illegal immigrants in America. He believes that low-skilled immigrant labor is necessary to supply important service roles that native-born Americans do not want. He also co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Ted Kennedy to expand the use of guest worker visas. 8 Libertarian: Bob Barr and Wayne Allen Root (President and Vice President of the United States) Contact Info: Website: www.bobbarr2008.com Email: [email protected] Phone: (770) 836-1776 Mailing Address 900 Circle 75 Pkwy. Suite 1280 Atlanta, GA 30339 Experience: Barr was an official with the CIA (1971-78) United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia (1986-90) Represented the 7th District of Georgia (1995 – 2003) Member of the Long-Term Strategy Project for Preserving Security and Democratic Norms in the War on Terrorism at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (2003 – 2005) Chairman of the 21st Century Liberties for Freedom and Privacy (Current) Board Member of the National Rifle Association (Current) President and CEO of a public policy consulting firm called Liberty Strategies (Current) Platform: Mr. Barr is a strong and fervent advocate of privacy rights. He opposes many provisions of the Patriot Act and looks for its repeal. He is a great supporter of the 2nd Amendment.