Dissatisfied with your candidate choice this Nov. 8? Some voters look at the election and wonder why they don’t like any of the candidates, or why there seems to be a lack of real choice on the ballot. Where are the decent candidates who are really in touch with ordinary people?

Cook County Clerk David Orr says the blah-ballot crisis is rampant in suburban Cook County, especially during non-presidential elections.

In the April 2015 consolidated election, 63 percent of the 699 local office races were uncontested, Orr said. Nearly half the 19 races for mayor were uncontested, and 20 library and park district boards had no challenger. Many school district races had no candidates at all, Orr said.

That’s why Orr’s office has developed a digital Running for Office Starter Kit, which they say is the first of its kind in Illinois.

By using an interactive website, citizens can enter their addresses and see all the local races seeking candidates. Newbie candidates can see if they are qualified to run for local school board or park district. Even obscure down-ballot offices like fire protection district commissioner and township trustee pop up on Orr’s new digital tool.

The candidate kit also generates a “candidate packet” with a Statement of Candidacy, Loyalty Oath and Petition for Nomination forms prepopulated with the user’s information, the Clerk’s press release said.

Orr says getting candidates on the ballot will spice up voter engagement and make elected officials more responsive.

“One of the many issues that accompany these uncompetitive elections is low voter turnout,” Clerk Orr said in a press release.  “Contested elections not only force public officials to work for their constituents’ votes by bringing different points of view into our democracy but they also attract voters to the polls – expanding the political process on both sides of the ballot box.”

Elected offices in suburban Cook include: Township and municipal districts, elementary and high school districts, community college districts

park and library districts and fire protection districts.

Watch a video and receive your first starter kit on the Clerk’s website at http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/elections/candidatefiling/Pages/RunningForOffice.aspx

For more black-belt candidate strategies, the non-partisan Citizen Advocacy Center, based in Elmhurst, also offers tips on petition pitfalls and legal challenges.

“We present at educational forums on the nuts and bolts of running for the ballot and staying on the ballot upon request by community groups who conduct outreach to inform their community of the forum,” wrote Maryam Judar, Executive Director, in an email. Look for a forum to be held in Cicero in November, Judar said.

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— Orr’s office introduces Running for Office Starter Kit for suburban Cook candidates —