Who Is Running for Secretary of State Illinois?

As Illinoisans, we all want to know who is running for Secretary of State in our state. This year has been full of changes in the administration, and the race for Secretary of State is no different. Let’s take a look at who the contenders are.

The gubernatorial election puts incumbent Republican Jesse White up against Republican Jason Helland and Libertarian Steve Dutner. White is a five-time Secretary of State, having held the office since 1999. He has earned a reputation as an independent watchdog in his lengthy tenure, advocating for reforming auto insurance rules, increasing penalties on uninsured drivers, and increasing education standards for teen drivers. White frequently visits Chicago schools to advocate on behalf of students facing discipline issues due to truancy or behavioral issues.

Helland served as Illinois Attorney General from 2003-2007 before being appointed Special Counsel to Governor Bruce Rauner in 2015-17. He also serves on several boards and commissions throughout the state including his work with Chicago's Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and SAVE Fund Educational Foundation which helps ex-offenders find employment after prison reentry. As a fiscal conservative, Helland stresses fiscal responsibility in office and accountability in government spending.

Finally, Dutner is running on a Libertarian ticket with strong support from many reform groups seeking opportunities for new business development as well as increased access to capital markets by small businesses in the wake of trends towards automation and digital technologies replacing more traditional manual labor jobs. Dutner points to his success as Chairman of Thinking Blue which successfully combines technology transfer initiatives with job training programs for underserved areas which could aid those left out of Illinois's tech boom over the past two decades.

In conclusion, these three candidates make up your choices this election season when it comes to voting for your next Secretary of State Illinois: incumbent Jesse White (D); Jason Helland (R); and Steve Dutner (I). It’s important that you research all three candidates before making your decision so that you can make an informed vote come November 3rd!

The current Illinois Secretary of State is Jesse White. Mr. White has served in this position, as the 36th Secretary of State of Illinois, since 1999, marking his sixth term in office. Prior to his appointment to the Office of the Secretary of State, Jesse White was a teacher and coach. He has devoted himself to public service and was an established leader in the community throughout his education, business, and legislative career.

As the state's Chief Elections Officer, Jesse White is responsible for overseeing all election-related activities in Illinois including administering voter registration across all 102 counties and training election judges. He also serves as the state’s liason for Motor Vehicle Services as well as issuing commercial driver's licenses for registered drivers and administering International Registration Plan fees for vehicles having travel within two or more states or provinces. He works diligently to keep a keen eye on financial transactions within the agency.

Jesse White has received numerous awards and recognitions from prominent organizations such as The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences where he was inducted into their Silver Circle Hall-of-Fame due to his dedication to humanitarian services across Illinois'. Under his watchful eye, he and his staff at the Secretary of State have made it faster and easier for residents to obtain driver's licenses or titles with myriad online services offered which allows customers to do this quickly while being socially distant and safe. In recognition of his long-standing commitment and tireless advocacy around issues most affecting residents across Illinois - including ethics reform, anti-abuse laws, public safety initiatives - Secretary White stands tall amongst a distinguished list of leaders in our state whose work will create positive generations long impacts throughout our communities.

The upcoming election for the Illinois Secretary of State is an important one to look out for. As the Illinois's chief election officer, the individual selected will be tasked with administering voting systems and managing services such as notary public licensing and vehicle titles. There are several candidates vying for this executive office position in the election, but two main contenders have emerged as front-runners in this contest: Republican candidate Jason Helland and Democrat incumbent Jesse White.

Jason Helland is a former state prosecutor who served as lead attorney for numerous law enforcement agencies in Will County. He has served a range of legal roles defending children from abuse, prosecuting violent offenders and enabling access to healthcare. Since 2015, Helland has worked with his own private practice specializing in civil rights matters. His platform focuses on restoring integrity to state government and initiating zero-based budgeting to ensure productive use of taxpayer’s money.

Jesse White is currently serving his fifth term as the Illinois Secretary of State, with an impressive record under his belt. He was previously elected by popular vote every time since he held office starting in 1999. During his tenure, White introduced several innovations such as instituting free driving lessons at Illinois’ public high schools, creating a new “Star Rating System” to assist consumers shopping for vehicle buying decisions, and integrating online voter registration with officials sharing registration data across states. White boasts a strong record on ethics reforms which has enabled him to remain popular throughout his tenure.

These two strong contenders are just some of the many candidates vying for this important executive position on the ballot this election season in Illinois. While both contenders bring different visions based on their policy goals and past experiences into this competition, only one can be chosen for this powerful position that serves all citizens of the state. Only time will tell who will be elected Secretary of State when votes are tallied up on November 3rd!

For the two candidates running for the position of Illinois Secretary of State, there are two major political parties that those individuals are affiliated with. Incumbent Jesse White is a candidate from the Democratic Party, whereas his challenger, Jason Helland is a candidate from the Republican Party. These two major parties showcase their different ideologies through which they hope to better serve the people of Illinois while in office.

The Democratic Party can be seen as being fiscally centrist, socially progressive and overseeing a government that works with election integrity, criminal justice reform and expanding healthcare access as part of its agenda. On the contrary, The Republican Party is traditionally seen as being more fiscally conservative and socially traditionalist. This means that Republican candidates work towards creating smaller governments with tighter regulations regarding tax-cuts and social issues such as gun control or abortion practices.

It's up to the voting citizens to decide which ideology serves them best come election day and decide who they want to see leading their state's legislative future. Both Jesse White and Jason Helland have an established track record in their respective political parties and both have their respective platforms that they hope to bring forth when elected into office in order make meaningful changes for Illinoisans.

The battle for Illinois Secretary of State is an important one—this elected office is responsible for overseeing the state’s elections, as well as licensing and regulation of businesses and drivers. Voters will head to the polls this November to choose between two candidates, Republican Jason Helland and Democrat Jesse White, but what issues are they hoping to tackle if each wins the election?

The lion’s share of issues that both candidates are running on relate to election oversight, honing in on voting access, locking down election processes and security measures. Helland proposes modernizing the process of received mail-in ballots through digitization and increasing the number of secure drop boxes around the state. He also expresses his eagerness to keep out any form of voter fraud by introducing stronger safeguards at polling places.

White brings experience from his previous role within the Secretary of State’s office before he was elected to statewide office in 1998, where he has remained for five successive terms. White is stressing his dedication to safe and secure elections with his current emphasis surrounding emergency preparedness kits containing PPE needed at precincts. His goal is to ensure every voter has a chance to cast their ballot safely while providing a secure environment against potential fraudulent activity.

Ultimately citizens of Illinois will be deciding which candidate gets their vote when they go in the ballot box this November, but it's crucial that voters understand what each candidate stands for in order to make informed decisions about who should serve as Illinois Secretary of State.

The term length of the Illinois Secretary of State has recently been a topic of debate. As it stands currently, the office is a four-year term beginning on January 1 of the year following an election. In 2016, an act was passed to shorten the term by one year beginning in 2021, making it an effective three-year term. This would have been the first change to term length since 1973.

Many people have questioned this choice and whether or not it gives Illinois Secretary of State candidates enough time to get their feet under them before being voted upon again. Three years may be seen as too short for aides to learn new roles, create meaningful connections within their communities, and reap tangible policy successes that they’ll want to showcase during their next election cycle. Research from other states show that a long comfortable term can make all the difference in terms of a public official's ability to make shifts in public opinion and laws over time.

Ultimately, what matters most for anyone wanting to run for or hold onto the role of Illinois Secretary of State is that it's essential to maximize the three years you’re given, so getting started quickly and cultivating relationships across businesses and politics is just as important as articulating accurate information about current policy issues during your campaigns. Of course, successful holding onto your seat will require multiple years spent gaining trust among constituents, developing legislative proposals relating to businesses laws, and creating relationships among various stakeholders around the state.

The filing deadline for Illinois Secretary of State candidates to submit petitions is set by the Illinois State Board of Elections, and this deadline varies depending on the election year. For the 2020 General Election, all petitions must be submitted by December 2nd, 2019 at 5 p.m. Candidates hoping to run in this election must obtain a minimum number of signatures from registered voters — both within their district and in total — in order to be considered for the General Election ballot.

In addition to meeting the filing deadline, Illinois Secretary of State candidates are also required to adhere to several other rules and regulations set by the Board of Elections. These generally include paying a filing fee, filing disclosure documents with the Illinois State Board of Elections and meeting other publication requirements depending on their campaigning methods; these duties are also subject to change on an annual basis.

Candidates should contact or receive advice from an experienced campaign treasurer or political consultant about when and how these rules have changed since the last election season ended; keeping up with these ever-shifting regulations can be an arduous task, so it helps to have an expert Navigate your options! Ultimately, it’s important for any candidate seeking office as Illinois Secretary of State to mark their calendar with key dates from now until the December 2nd deadline — so they don’t miss out on submitting their candidacy petitions!