Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be sunny and warm, with a high near 75 degrees in the forecast. Tonight’s low will be around 57 degrees. Tomorrow will be the same: sunny with a high of 74 degrees.
Top story
Everything you need to know to vote confidently in the 2020 election
Today, we’re one month away from one of the most pivotal elections in modern U.S. history.
On (or before) Nov. 3, voters across the country will head to the polls (or to a mailbox, or a secured drop box) to vote in the 2020 general election. Illinois voters will cast ballots for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and the Illinois Legislature, as well as Cook County positions.
Local races in the Chicago area include Cook County State’s Attorney, the Illinois Supreme Court, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners and the Cook County Board of Review.
We know this election matters to you, and that being informed about each candidate on the ballot before you vote is paramount. So in the past few weeks, we’ve compiled all the information you need into our 2020 Election Voting Guide. It includes candidate questionnaires gathered by our Editorial Board, as well as our ed board’s endorsements, which are worth checking out if you’re undecided in a particular race.
We’ve also broken down what you need to know about the proposed graduated income tax, which Illinois residents will be asked about on their ballot. If you’re unsure about what a graduated income tax is, or how it will affect your taxes, our political reporters have you covered in this guide with everything you need to know before you vote on it.
If you’re one of the two million registered voters in Illinois that requested to vote by mail, don’t wait until the last minute to cast your ballot. Our experts say you should mail in your ballot by Oct. 19 to make sure it’s counted in time for election day. You can also use an official drop box location to hand-deliver your ballot yourself.
And if you need more information on how to vote, we have that, too. Here’s everything you need to know to get your ballot counted in the 2020 election, from early voting to mail-in ballots to voting on Election Day.
Bookmark our 2020 Election Voting Guide to study up over the next four weeks.
More news you need
- The Second City, the Chicago improv comedy hub that launched the careers of a host of comedians, is for sale, officials announced today. The sale is only the second one in the company’s 60-year history.
- Former University of Chicago sociologist Forrest Stuart, who spent months hanging out with gang members on the South Side to understand how social media is related to gang violence, was awarded a “genius grant” by the MacArthur Foundation today. He’ll get $625,000 to continue his research.
- While Notre Dame is proud to have its first law school grad tapped for the Supreme Court, not all alums support Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation. Two of her former classmates told Lynn Sweet why they oppose her nomination.
- Mayor Lori Lightfoot has asked organized labor to help her achieve $200 million in savings — either through layoffs, pay cuts, furlough days or a combination of the three, City Hall sources said today. Some of the savings could be achieved by eliminating 847 sworn vacancies and more than 200 civilian openings in the Chicago Police Department.
- A man from Albion, Indiana, was arrested Sunday on charges that he illegally sold dozens of handguns and assault rifles in the Chicago area over the last year. Wayne Tucker, 55, allegedly sold 39 guns to someone working undercover for law enforcement, according to a criminal complaint.
A bright one
Early voting Chicagoans celebrate the return of ‘I Voted’ stickers
Last week, we spread the good word that “I Voted!” stickers were back, and explained why they had been absent in Chicago since 2012.
As officials geared up for an election that will be reshaped in many ways by the COVID-19 crisis, Chicago Board of Elections Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez said the decision to dump the wristbands handed out in recent years was made to protect poll workers from coming into close contact with voters during the coronavirus pandemic.
Turns out, early voters in Chicago are just as excited about them as we were. Here are some celebratory tweets locals shared after scoring one of the coveted stickers, including one from all the way across the pond:
Folks. #Chicago is officially Not Playing when it comes to the #IVoted stickers. pic.twitter.com/vW9N9XyUlF
— Nate Cradit, Ph.D. (@DrNCradit) September 28, 2020
Got my mail-in ballot today and Chicago has a cool ‘I voted’ sticker this election cycle. pic.twitter.com/rs0WwwvA6W
— An actual wolf (@jwolfe73) September 29, 2020
Voted. ️✔️ My ballot is now on its way from Southampton UK to Chicago. I paid an extra £5 for tracking. Look at the kickass sticker I got too! It's my first voting sticker in 15 years of mail-in voting for US elections from the UK. Couldn't be prouder. ❤️ #IVoted pic.twitter.com/vTY9C6zman
— Christina Triantafillou ️ (@triantafillou_c) September 28, 2020
For more information on the return of the stickers, read Tom Schuba’s story.
From the press box
With the Blackhawks holding the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, which starts tonight at 6 p.m., reporter Ben Pope dug into the top North American and top European prospects who are expected to be available in the middle of the first round.
And while Theo Epstein didn’t outright say it yesterday, the Cubs president made it clear he’s already thinking about his future beyond the franchise, Rick Telander writes.
Your daily question ☕
What issues are most important to you in this election, and why?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: Why is the election on Nov. 3 important to you? Here’s what some of you said…
“This election is the most important of my 66 years. I have never had a president of such deplorable actions and immature language in my life. He brings out the worst kind of people to act viciously for him.” — Char Nolen
“So the U.S. doesn’t become a socialist nation.” — Rod Munch
“We need our country back. We can’t lose our democracy.” — Gloria Kopp
“Because the fate of America hinges on it.” — Kenneth Stewart
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