Candidate nomination packets now available for spring 2023 consolidated elections in DeKalb County

The spring 2023 consolidated election is set for April 4.

Election judges wait for the next voter to check in as voting booths remain idle during a slow period on election day Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at the polling place in Westminster Presbyterian Church in DeKalb.

DeKALB – Residents who are interested in running for elected office in DeKalb can now pick up their candidate nomination packets for the spring 2023 consolidated elections, the DeKalb city clerk said Tuesday.

Candidate packets will be available from city hall for the aldermanic seats in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7, City Clerk Sasha Cohen said.

However, there are different elected positions in DeKalb County that may turn to other election authorities to retrieve and ultimately turn in their nomination packets for the 2023 elections.

“A school board candidate would turn in at the county level,” Cohen said.

Residents throughout the county have been granted the option beginning with the Nov. 8 election to submit an application to permanently vote by mail.

But if a resident decides to opt out, the first day to apply for a vote by mail ballot for the 2023 election is Jan. 4, and the last day is March 30.

Cohen said he is hopeful that permanent vote-by-mail options can make a dent in voter turnout.

“It’s certainly my hope that the people of DeKalb will make their voices heard in the upcoming municipal election and will turn out in higher numbers than they previously have,” Cohen said.

But Cohen said he understands that historically voter turnout has lacked enthusiasm in non-presidential elections.

“It’s a common theme that in off-year municipal elections we see a very low voter turnout,” he said. “That has the unfortunate effect of resulting in a municipal government that is not necessarily representative of the people who actually live within a city.”

The spring 2023 election for local governing boards is set for April 4.

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