A Last-Minute Guide to Voting

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 2, 2010 4:20PM

We've long been a proponent of this little bit of wisdom: "If you don't vote, don't bitch." And we'll admit that's naive on my part. The reality is that there are some folks out there who have no idea who they would vote for today and probably should be nowhere near a polling place.

Those people are probably the same folks who like to cram for exams, hoping that memory retention gets them to a C-plus average. And if you that person and are insisting on voting today, then we want to arm you with the resources to at least make an informed opinion at the ballot box.

• "I don't know where my polling place is located." The city Board of Elections website has a polling place finder online where you can search for your precinct and polling place by address. If you want to get a good laugh out of it, visit Yourfuckingpollingplace.com and search for your station there.
• "When do polls close?" 7 p.m. No exceptions.
• "Are there online voter guides available?" Does a bear shit in the woods? Peep, peeps.
• "What about newspaper endorsements? Who did the editorial board at my newspaper of choice pick?" Whet Moser at the Reader compiled newspaper endorsements from across Illinois, if you wish to use a weighted system.
• "What about judicial retentions and why am I voting for them?" Good question, one we've often asked ourselves. The sheer volume of judicial retentions can steer what is a right to vote into a mindless job. Voteforjudges.org has a comprehensive list of recommended judgeships. They work in conjunction with the LAGBAC Judicial Evaluation Committee.